Saten Singh

Saten and his wife Ann Marie

Saten Singh is a longtime SCORES advocate. Over the years, he has helped secure funding for various SCORES programs and initiatives through the generosity of MUFG Union Bank, where he has served as Vice President of Business Development. Ten years ago, Saten rounded up the first Union Bank team for the SCORES Corporate Cup and has served as team captain ever since. 

Let’s dive right into Union Bank’s hard-fought, long-sought win in the 2022 SCORES Corporate Cup. You finally won! What changed this year? 

We needed to win, not just because we came so close last year to a win, but because this was the last time we would be together as a Union Bank team. The company has been acquired by US Bank, and the business where I have worked for the last 35 years will be no more. That reality raised the stakes and pulled us together even more as a team. Union Bank had to go out as a winner. 

Besides that, there was our near-win last year. We were determined to change course. Last year, we were winning until the last 10 or 20 seconds of the game, and then one of the players made a crucial error, bringing us to a tie. He felt terrible. Then we lost in the penalty kick. It was the kind of ending we had to come back from. So this year, we were all ready to get back on the field. Winning it this year was exciting for all of us. We were going out on a high. 

You have been a supporter of SCORES for a decade. Has there been any single moment in your involvement that has crystalized how you feel about the organization?

Yes. A few years ago, SCORES Executive Director Colin Schmidt took me on a site visit to Marshall Elementary School in San Francisco to hear the kids perform their poetry. One of the boys read a poem. He had just lost his father. To see that boy, carrying his experience, not having a father, with the courage to stand up there and tell his story. It was very emotional for me and uplifting. This is why I keep going with this organization, to help people like that. 

Many of the kids that SCORES serves are very low-income, and some face profound challenges. As someone who grew up with very little in another country, I’m not surprised by hardships. But it still surprises me that we continue to face these challenges in this country. There are people out there who need support. 

Continuing on that theme, you said you grew up in another country. Where did you grow up, and how would you describe your childhood? 

I grew up in the Fiji Islands, a developing country with a rural economy and a slow way of life. Nothing happens very quickly. Things have changed dramatically, but when I was growing up, there was nothing there infrastructurally. I grew up on a farm where we grew our own food. My parents were farmers. My great grandparents had migrated from India. They came as laborers, were given a piece of land, and decided to stay. 

We walked everywhere, walked to school, three miles each way. People ask me what was it like growing up there? My simple answer is that we didn’t have anything, but we had everything, meaning everybody was happy enough just living life. When you don’t see anything else, you don’t worry about what you don’t have–you worry about what you have today, and that’s it. What you have is plenty enough. It was a rich and happy life. 

I was 19 when I moved to California with the help of my family. I had some relatives already here. It was a complete eye-opener. I could not believe the speed, how fast things moved. The height of the buildings - whoa! It was quite a ride. In hindsight, it was worth it, especially economically. You give up one way of life to see what else is out there. I am blessed and fortunate – it worked out for me.

What are you watching these days? 

I’m watching inflation. I’m watching to see how we will get this thing under control. Because if this continues, it will impact people, especially those that SCORES serves. Will they be OK? What will happen to them? That’s on the forefront of my mind right now. I want to know how far things will go, and I’m watching very closely.

You know I asked that question wondering what you were watching on television, but you gave a more complex answer. On a final note, you’re soon to retire. Do you have any pipe dreams? Anything you want to do at this point in your life? 

My wife and I just bought a new home with an acre of land. In the next six to 12 months, I will try to grow as much as I can of my own food. I’ll be planting lettuce, tomatoes, chilies, beans, and things that I can just grab and cook myself. We’ll be doing lots of vegetarian cooking. Growing my own food takes me back to my childhood. 

Photos of Union Bank’s triumph in the Corporate Cup here.