Atif Shafqat & Nadya Ajanee, ’93, Amana Nasir, ’98 and Hamid Bashir, ’02 hosted an awesome regional reunion for AKU alumni in the Midwest region (St. Louis), on June 03, 2016. They had a lovely turnout, with more than 30 alumni attending the event. I am sharing below a brief recap of the event, which Atif Shafqat was very kind to share with us.
Abdul Basit Saeed, ’07
Web Manager, AKUAANA
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AKU Alumni Regional Midwest Reunion, June 2016
On June 3rd, 2016 AKU Medical College Alumni had a regional reunion for Midwest alumni in St. Louis, Missouri. Over 30 alumni plus spouses and many kids (…we noticed quite a few homozygous AKU Alumni progeny…) were able to join together for a fun evening. The attendees included alumni starting from the Class of 1989 all the way to Class of 2013!
The event was a close-knit gathering at the home of Class of ’93 alumni Nadya Ajanee and Atif Shafqat. The other local hosts included Amana Nasir (’98), Hamid Bashir (’02), Tabassum and Obeid Ilahi (’92), Faisal and Saira Asaduallah (’92), Tariq and Anjum Hassan (’89). The theme was “green, white and classy” which could be interpreted in as many ways as the attendee may choose!
Habib Chotani, President of AKUAANA, also attended and brought with him some souvenirs (or should we call them bribes?), including alumni T-shirts for AKUAANA Lifetime Members. Habib did a small presentation which detailed what AKUAANA has been able to accomplish in the last few years. One of the primary purpose of AKUAANA is to serve for the benefit and success of its alumni and their families in our adopted country. The big challenges of increasing membership and organizing now an ever-growing large alumni body in North America were discussed. One idea proposed via a recent survey of the AKU alumni was to find a “common cause” to coalesce around. Habib did a short presentation on one such initiative identified in the form of supporting the “Ibrahim Haidri Outreach Clinic”, a women and pediatric clinic run in the Katchi-Abadis in Karachi in partnership with AKU.
Following the desi dinner, khoobani meetha and chai, there were plans for a singing performance by Hamid Bashir. Hamid has fame from the APPNA Idol Competition and has an activist streak and passion for creating meaningful music (check out his website www.music4cause.net). Just when it seemed that there were going to be some technical sound equipment difficulties, it all came together and he was able to pull off a fabulous performance as usual!
The best part of the evening was meeting up with old friends, having a few laughs and catching up on old memories. The message that comes out clear from these events is that there is a persistent and strong tie that binds the AKU alumni community. It is more than ever necessary to watch out for each other and our families as we navigate and establish ourselves in our new homeland with its many challenges.
View the full album with pictures from the event at the AKUAANA Facebook Page.
For more recaps of Alumni Reunions, visit our Past Meetings page.