The weather in Dubai is at its best during January and the night of the LUMS UAE Alumni Reunion was no different in the hustle and bustle of the cosmopolitan city, home to the tallest towers and the largest alumni population outside of Pakistan. The UAE Alumni Reunion took place on January 27, 2017 at the Sheraton Grand Hotel, Dubai. It was a night to celebrate friendship and rekindle old memories and get entertained.
A 150 attendee strong turnout in a ballroom full of round tables draped in black, placed under huge crystal chandeliers added to the elegance and grandeur of the event.
The alumni were warmly welcomed by the LUMS alumni relations team and the UAE alumni chapter who opened the reunion with the national anthem of UAE followed by Pakistan’s national anthem. Talal Farrukh delivered a beautiful recitation of the Quran.
The alumni were formally welcomed by Mr. Shahzad Bashir, Vice-President UAE Alumni Chapter. Adeel Hashmi was the host for the evening, who kept the crowd engaged with his playful banter. He invited Dr. Mariam Chughtai who gave a brief introduction of the new school at LUMS, the School of Education.
Heartfelt video messages from Syed Babar Ali and Abdul Razak Dawood were played for the UAE alumni.
Prof. Dr. S. Sohail H. Naqvi, Vice Chancellor spoke to the audience and gave an overview of LUMS and the latest happenings there. LUMS Ambassador pins were bestowed upon alumni for their commitment to keeping the spirit of giving back to their alma mater alive; Shahzad Bashir for the whole UAE, Omair Homaey for Dubai and Northern Emirates and Mudassir Sheikh for Abu Dhabi. The Ambassadors took the audience through a LUMS video that induced nostalgia and rekindled old memories, a slideshow showcased the alumni reunions held worldwide and the recent annual homecoming at LUMS in Lahore. Alumni were delighted to see their friends from other countries.
The event included a musical performance by Ali Sethi, who captured the audience with his soulful voice. Lastly, popular LUMS faculty members, Dr. Jamshed Khan and Dr. Syed Zahoor Hassan addressed the audience.
The evening concluded with a dinner where the UAE alumni networked and remembered old friendships and reminisced their time at LUMS.
