NED Alumni Convention 2009: It Is for Everyone
By Ali Hasan Cemendtaur
View of the 2008 NED Convention |
The vital bond that exists among the students of the professional colleges in Pakistan appears to be far stronger than that exists among the alumni of the Western universities -- and there is a reason for it. For better or for worse, in the Pakistani professional colleges students entering the institution in a particular year study the same subjects and sit in the same classrooms throughout the course of their study (for four or more years). And being together and working with each other for so long, students develop a camaraderie not seen in other places. When the alumni of these colleges meet they always have tons of memories to cherish and scores of past events to recount.
North America has a large number of people who attended the NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi. It was just a matter of time that these alumni would decide to meet annually and remember the good old days. Several years ago a tradition of holding an annual NED alumni convention was born. And now every year the NED alumni present in North America get together to remember their student days and learn from each other. The venue rotates. This year’s convention is being held at Embassy Suites-Anaheim, Garden Grove, on Saturday, July 18. Please see details at:
www.nedaasc.org/Convention2009.aspx
Universities are peculiar entities. They take students from everywhere -- mostly from the community around them but also from far away places -- and make them think and become better human beings. And universities don’t do this remarkable feat in thin air, they need the support of the society they are established in. Consequently any commemorative event of an academic institution is not just the celebration of the teachers, the staff, and the students who were part of the academic environment that made up the university; it is a celebration of all those who made the phenomenon happen: the larger society, the city, and the country that university belongs to.
NED Alumni Association of Southern California’s president Ahmed Ali and his colleagues have been working hard to make this year’s NED alumni convention yet another memorable program in a series of annual events. There would be colloquia during the day and an entertainment program at night. It does not matter if you attended the NED University as a student, or if you know someone who went to that college, or you have just heard about NED, be a part of the gala event -- the convention is not only a celebration of the NED University, it is a celebration of Karachi, of Sindh, of Pakistan, and of South Asia. Come and enjoy the revelry.
And in case you cannot make it to the program, please still buy the tickets; NED Alumni Association of Southern California is a non-profit organization and your contribution would go towards charitable purposes.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
