US Senator, Mayors Visit KIIT and KISS
Ten Distinguished Personalities Honoured with KKIO Lifetime Achievement Award
By Swagatika Mohapatra
Bhubaneswar, Oct. 15: A delegation comprising a Washington State Senator, mayors of several cities in the United States, and other distinguished personalities visited KIIT and KISS on Thursday and spent considerable time interacting with students.
At a special programme organised at KISS, ten eminent personalities from Washington State were conferred the KIIT-KISS Is One (KKIO) Lifetime Achievement Award 2026 in recognition of their outstanding 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.
Expressing their appreciation during the visit, the guests said they were deeply impressed by the scale and functioning of KIIT and KISS. They remarked that they had never seen such a large number of children together in one place. They also praised the discipline of KISS students and their capabilities across various fields.
The 17-member delegation from Washington State is visiting India from October 12 to 19 as part of the India Trek programme.
Speaking at the event, the Founder of KIIT & KISS Dr. Achyuta Samanta delivered the welcome address and thanked the delegation for visiting the institutions.
Among others present on the occasion were Professor Sharanjit Singh, Vice-Chancellor of KISS Deemed to be University, and Dr. Prashant Kumar Routaray, Chief Executive Officer of KISS.
