Washington
State delegation visits KIIT and KISS, interacts with students and commends the
institutions’ scale and discipline
THEBUSINESSBYTES
BUREAU
BHUBANESWAR,
OCTOBER 15, 2026
A 17-member
delegation from Washington State, comprising a US state senator, mayors of
several cities and other dignitaries, visited KIIT and KISS in Bhubaneswar on
Thursday, interacting with students and gaining an insight into the
institutions’ educational initiatives. Ten members of the delegation were
conferred the KIIT-KISS Is One (KKIO) Lifetime Achievement Award 2026 at a
special ceremony held at KISS in recognition of their contributions in various
fields.
The awardees included
Tina Louise Orwall, Washington State Senator; Dana Lynn Ralph, Mayor of Kent;
Thomas Wayne McLeod, Mayor of Tukwila; Mark Douglas Mullet, Mayor of Issaquah;
Joseph Daniel Marine, Mayor of Mukilteo; Ronald Jon Frederick, Mayor of DuPont;
Stanley Lalit Kumar Flemming, Mayor of University Place; Mohamed Ali Egal,
Mayor of SeaTac; Denise Teresa McCluskey, Pro Tem Mayor of University Place;
and Toni Marie Troutner, Council Member of the City of Kent.
During their visit,
the dignitaries expressed admiration for the scale and functioning of KIIT and
KISS. They said they were particularly struck by the large number of children
on the KISS campus and praised the students’ discipline and abilities across
various fields.
The delegation is
visiting India from October 12 to 19 as part of the India Trek programme.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT and KISS, welcomed the delegation and thanked its members for visiting the institutions.
Professor Sharanjit Singh, Vice-Chancellor of KISS Deemed to be University, and Dr. Prashant Kumar Routaray, Chief Executive Officer of KISS, were among those present at the event.
