The Bay Area Alumni Chapter’s annual reunion was held on Sunday, 17 June, 2018 at the residence of Sadia Ali, BSc 2003, and her family. LUMS Pro-Chancellor, Syed Babar Ali attended the reunion on behalf of the LUMS community and was welcomed by over 60 attendees at the reunion.
The weather turned out to be perfect for an outdoor seating arrangement. As the reunion kicked off, the alumni enjoyed socialising with old friends and discovering the network of the new alumni joining the Bay Area community. After the opening speech by the hostess, Syed Babar Ali was invited to share details about the National Outreach Programme (NOP). Through his words, the alumni became even more inspired and enthusiastic to support the NOP at LUMS. Syed Babar Ali stunned the crowd with his unceasing philanthropy by making a generous donation of $5 million, which was followed by approximately $15k in pledges from the alumni attendees. A big kudos to Asim Fayaz, BSc 2010, for motivating his fellow alumni to collect funds on behalf of the class of 2010.
In addition to the discussions at the reunion, there was also an outdoor art exhibition displaying several marvellous masterpieces created by Bay Area artist Houman Pazouki, and children were kept engaged with face painting and henna application. There were many authentic Pakistani dishes including, but not limited to, chicken barbecue, falooda with kulfi, and Kashmiri chai. The menu was also made more exciting by the inclusion of avocado and pesto sandwiches, leafy green salad made with cranberries, nuts, and feta cheese, sheer khurma, and chatkhara-style papri chaat.
Alumni in the area were instrumental in helping the host family with the cooking endeavours, the outdoor setup, and entertaining the guests. All in all, the reunion was truly like a big family gathering, filled with laughter and fun and also an amazing Eid and Father's Day celebration going hand in hand.
