Governor Phil Murphy appointed West Essex graduate Gurbir Grewal as New Jersey’s attorney general, and he is the first Sikh in American history to fill this position.

Grewal, the son of Indian immigrants, is also the first south-Asian attorney general in the state of New Jersey.

“I think it sends a powerful message that it doesn’t matter where you come from or what you look like in this country, because you can be part of the government, you can be part of institutions, you can give back and you can succeed,” Grewal said. “That’s just the beauty of the country we live in.”

Despite having come this far in his career, Grewal faced many hardships in order to achieve his current position.

“The hate and intolerance has been prominent my whole life, including in high school,” Grewal said. “At an early point, that shaped me. It made me more resilient and more empathetic.”

Grewal hopes that holding this position will send a message to minority groups that with commitment and hard work, any goal is attainable.

As attorney general, Grewal has specific issues he would like to address that directly affect the West Essex area, as well as other regions across the state. He plans to focus on the opioid crisis and the recent increase in the death toll by overdose. The state will work on treatment, education and prevention efforts to keep opioids off the streets and reduce the number of New Jersey citizens and families affected by opioid use.

Prior to his appointment as attorney general, Grewal served as a federal prosecutor and Bergen County prosecutor and has since worked his way up.

While a student, he was involved in clubs and activities that focused on civic engagement. Grewal was a member of Junior Statesmen of America and WECARE, the latter of which he founded with his peers during his time at W.E. Grewal credits part of his success in his career to the experiences and opportunities provided to him by West Essex.

“Meeting like-minded, civically aware high school students across the region helped foster at an early point in my life that I wanted to major in political science and go to Georgetown, where I did foreign service and government related studies,” Grewal said. “At an early point in my life that showed me what was out there.”

Grewal wanted to be in a position where he could advocate for underrepresented populations. While some people choose to go into public service for religious reasons or other moral convictions, Grewal said all of these things influenced him to take this career path.

“As someone whose parents immigrated to this country, and someone who’s been afforded so many benefits as a result of that, I’ve always had a desire to go into public service to give back,” Grewal said.

“Anytime West Essex alumni achieve something to be proud of, I always view it as a reflection of our school,” Principal Caesar Diliberto said. “The fact that he continues to be involved and talk to our students shows that he is proud to have gone here and gotten those experiences as well.”

Grewal lives with his wife Amrit and three daughters in Glen Rock. The Georgetown graduate obtained his law degree from the College of William & Mary.

Editor’s Note: The print edition of this story incorrectly stated that Attorney General Grewal graduated in 1993. The story now correctly reflects that he graduated in 1991.