Alumni Gather in the Heart of London, Raise Funds for LUMS National Outreach Programme

LUMS Alumni residing in UK, gathered for a fun-filled and rewarding afternoon on March 18, 2023. It was a reunion organised in the heart of London, allowing the UK Alumni chapter to interact and, come together to contribute to the LUMS National Outreach Programme (NOP) fund through a charity raffle. Vice Chancellor, LUMS, Dr. Arshad Ahmad, and Ms. Nuzhat Kamran, Director, Office of Advancement, LUMS also flew from Lahore to be a part of this event.  

The afternoon began with a warm welcome note delivered by Mr. Ahmed Salman Tariq (BS 2011), Vice President, UK Alumni Chapter, and a key organiser of the event. After the LUMS round-up video was played, the Vice Chancellor was invited to say a few words about the importance of get-togethers like this outside of Pakistan and the role that alumni play in highlighting the LUMS community and its achievements. He also took the opportunity to discuss the multiple strategic actions that LUMS has taken to combat climate change.

This was followed by a presentation by Ms. Kamran that focused on an overview of alumni achievements and recent initiatives taken by the University such as the ALUMS Chat, Mentorship Platform, Give a Day to LUMS Campaign, as well as the successful outreach. Success stories of NOP scholars namely, Waqas Haider (BSc 2019) and Shahrukh Swati (BSc 2016) were then played on screen. Towards the end of the afternoon, Ms. Kamran thanked Adeela Sarfaraz (BSc 2009) and Ahmed Salman Tariq (BS 2011) for arranging the event and appreciated Adeela’s efforts in driving the initiative for the raffle.

Ms. Kamran, while expressing her gratitude, said, “Kudos to you for driving this and a big thank you to all the alumni who donated to this and the alumnus who very generously matched the funds. This is so heartwarming and everyone at LUMS including the Vice Chancellor and the members of the Board of Trustees are grateful to everyone who made this possible. You helped in transforming somebody’s life!”

A total of £2,300 were collected through the heart-warming donations of the alumni, however, with the help of a generous donor who matched the amount, it totaled up to £4,600, all of it being donated to the NOP fund. Dr. Ahmad showed gratitude and explained how this was the first time that any chapter raised funds at its reunion. He also acknowledged Adeela Sarfaraz (BSc 2009), Ahmed Salman Tariq (BS 2011), Muhammad Ali Farid Khwaja (MS 2004), President, UK Chapter, his wife Mubashira Ali Khwaja, and Ali Omar Almakky (MBA 1996) for their heartfelt efforts.

The afternoon concluded with Adeela Sarfaraz and Ahmed Salman Tariq expressing their gratitude. Sarfaraz, LUMS first female NOP scholar and one of the main organisers of the reunion, shared how she felt grateful for the people who donated and helped her chase her dreams allowing her to accomplish everything she aspired to be and more.