A blood donation drive with the Red Crescent Society. A park cleanup and art workshop at Fatima Jinnah Park with local school kids from Mashal Model School. An outreach trip to the Pakistan Monument with differently-abled friends from the Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP). An anti-littering flash mob at Centaurus mall to highlight environmental awareness.
These are a few of the community service activities nearly 300 alumni conducted during the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network’s (PUAN) second annual reunion for alumni of the Global Undergraduate (UGrad) exchange program, held Dec. 13-15, 2013, at Serena Hotel in Islamabad.
The Global UGrad program in Pakistan is the largest in the world. Since 2010, U.S. Embassy Islamabad has sent nearly 700 Pakistani university students to the United States for one semester of study at a U.S. university. The national reunion provides a platform for the Embassy to introduce recently-returned alumni to the network’s activities, and channel their enthusiasm to develop community outreach projects after they return home.
“I made a cultural bridge between America and Pakistan during my exchange, and this bridge is love, peace and harmony,” said one attendee Huda Bhurgri, a 2013 UGrad alumna from Sindh province.
During the reunion, participants shared their positive experiences in the United States, participated in workshops and speaker sessions on entrepreneurship and creativity, enjoyed cultural and music performances, and brainstormed ideas for projects to benefit Pakistan’s social and economic development.
The chief guest at the event, the U.S. Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires Tom Williams, highlighted the important role played by the students in making Pakistan a better place.
“To think that my country has played a role in advancing your education and helping your nation’s prospects makes me very proud of the Global UGrad program, and also of you,” Williams said.
A panel of alumni entrepreneurs spoke about how to take an idea from vision to reality. Speakers included International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) alumnus Muhammad Azfar Ahsan, CEO of Nutshell Forum; Goldman Sachs alumna Maria Umar, president of the Women’s Digital League; IVLP alumna and entrepreneur Ayla Majeed; and IVLP alumnus Kashif Khan, president of Global Entrepreneurship Week.
To help alumni plan for the future, the reunion also featured a panel discussion on Fulbright scholarship opportunities, featuring advisors from the U.S. Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP), and a panel with representatives from several American Business Council companies, who provided advice on internship and employment opportunities.
“Stop waiting for the world to come to you—you have the power to make it happen, so use it!” said Rahim Lalani, VP at TRG, one of the panelists who spoke about how to find an internship.
A keynote presentation on “Living with Creativity” with guest speakers Tulin Khalid from Kuch Khaas and Natasha Humera Ejaz, a singer and creative consultant, kept the audience on their feet and helped them get in touch with their creative sides.
“Even if you’re not an artist, everyone has their own unique creativity to offer and use in everyday life,” Ejaz said.
The reunion also highlighted successful projects of Global UGrad alumni such as Mujtaba Zaidi, founder and CEO of the non-profit Discovering New Artists (DNA). With the help of an Alumni Small Grant, he organized a creative writing competition on the theme of “education as a force for good.” The competition promoted creativity and literacy among the more than 2,000 participants who hailed from disadvantaged elementary schools across Punjab.
A talented singer and musician, Zaidi also composed the project’s inspirational theme song “Kahan Jayein Ge” (“Where Will We End Up [Without Education]?”). Watch a short video about the project at: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=699144906772187.
Reunion organizers also screened a short video about UGrad alumnus Farman Ullah, who is leading literacy efforts throughout the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) via after school speech competitions. Learn more about his youth empowerment project at https://vimeo.com/78260098.
Through the event, the alumni networked with one another through icebreaker games, talent shows and scavenger hunts, and enthusiastically took part in cultural and musical performances featuring the traditions of every region of Pakistan. Karachi-based rock band InQishaaf closed the second day of the reunion with their first ever Islamabad concert at the National Library.
For the final activity, alumni joined a farewell lunch at scenic Monal treehouse restaurant in the Margalla hills, which offers sweeping views of the capitol city.
“It was an amazing three days, filled with brainstorming and inspirational stories,” said Assistant Cultural Attaché Jen McAndrew, who leads alumni engagement efforts for the U.S. Embassy. “I can’t wait to see all the great projects that are launched as a result of so many talented minds coming together. These alumni are the future of Pakistan and after meeting them, I know that future is bright!”
View a photo album from the reunion at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/109908453@N05/sets/72157638772692364/.
