Another session, another milestone!
On Friday, September 8, 2017, Lifetime Learning @LUMS (LLL) held the graduation ceremony of its second session. Marking the successful completion of the second session of the programme, the ceremony was made even more remarkable by the attendance of LUMS Rector, Abdul Razak Dawood, and Master of Ceremony, Adeel Hashmi, both of whom imparted great insights about the experience LLL provides its students with.
As the host for the evening, Adeel Hashmi kicked off the event with his great sense of humour, regaling the audience with jokes and anecdotes. This was soon followed by a splendid musical performance by Niaz Hunzai, who entertained the crowd with his soulful and melodious music.
While many of the LLL graduates may have shared similar reasons for participating in Lifetime Learning @LUMS, each one of them now has a unique story to tell about their journey and the time they spent here at LUMS. Many of them shared this story on camera, and their experiences were played in a video that captured the audience’s attention.
The graduates of the Piano class then showcased their skills acquired from the session by putting on a soulful performance. The attendees also got a glimpse of the fun times experienced by the students of the Event Management and Salsa Dance classes as they watched short videos of their journey. The most entertaining aspect of the evening however was when the audience had a great laugh at the Event Management class’s video bloopers, enjoying watching their fellow participants stumble and struggle on camera.
The success of this session would not have been possible without the involvement of the esteemed LLL faculty. Adeel Hashmi took a moment to invite them all on stage to say a few words. As the faculty addressed the room, their students took the opportunity to give them a huge round of applause.
Special moments from the fun-filled night included a surprise performance by host, Adeel Hashmi, who played a beautiful piece by Beethoven on the piano. Another highlight of the evening was when LUMS Rector, Abdul Razak Dawood, congratulated the participants and welcomed them as members of the LUMS family.
“We at LUMS believe that there is no limit to when or what a person can learn,” he said. “Lifetime Learning @LUMS defies all kinds of limitations, paying no heed to gender, profession, and age.”
He gave a special mention to the fact that LLL is truly open to all, sharing that the youngest graduate in the room was 15 years of age, and the oldest was 77 years of age. “That, to me, is remarkable,” he said.
“So come on in, come on in your hundreds, and come on in your thousands, we will be honoured to have you all,’” he said.
He expressed to the participants that the idea that Lifetime Learning @LUMS is designed to help one live thier passions, and “enable you to reset that clock, to fill those inner aspirations, those missed opportunities, and those private destinies that we all have.”
More than anything, he invited the participants to stay engaged with such community learning, and to remember, “the beauty about this programme is that you are not competing against anybody but yourself.”
After Abdul Razak Dawood distributed the certificates amongst the graduates, the attendees mingled in the main event area where the photographs captured by the Camera Savvy course students, and the beautiful paintings of landscapes and nature created by the Painting students were exhibited. As the attendees browsed through the picture gallery, looking at photographs and paintings on canvas, what they really got an inside look at was the different shooting styles and artistic inclinations of the graduates.
Both the participants and the faculty had a great time interacting over dinner and dessert, and indulging in selfies and photos galore at the decorated photo booth. From their first day on the LUMS campus, to taking photos together at the graduation ceremony, the LLL participants have come a long way.
As they said their goodbyes to their instructors and to each other though, they did so with the excitement of coming back for the next session, and staying in touch with the programme.
Registrations for Lifetime Learning @LUMS Session 3 are now open. Visit lifetimelearning.lums.edu.pk and apply now!
