More than 600 U.S. exchange alumni reunited in Islamabad September 27 to further strengthen U.S.-Pakistan ties and to network with U.S. Embassy staff, and each other. Organized by the Islamabad-Rawalpindi Chapter of the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network (PUAN), this third-annual reunion is PUAN’s biggest event of the year.
Recently returned alumni spoke about their U.S. experiences during the event. Global UGRAD alumnus Ayesha Khalid said, “The passion that the Americans have for community service impressed me, and I decided to translate this passion into my own efforts towards community service in Pakistan.” YES alumnus Moiz Rehan said his exchange year made him realize the importance of celebrating diversity.
The U.S. Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM) Tom Williams delivered the keynote address.
“My American colleagues and I appreciate that it is your good experiences in our country – whether decades ago or just last year – that bring you together as a group motivated to do good in Pakistan,” he said.
At the reunion, PUAN Country President Sameena Imtiaz presented the chapter’s inaugural Distinguished Alumni and Emerging Leader Awards, the network’s highest tribute, to recognize significant contributions to strengthening U.S.-Pakistan ties and exemplary civic engagement projects that support Pakistan’s growth and development. The Emerging Leader Awards recognize young alumni who strengthen the Pakistan-U.S. Alumni Network through volunteerism and community service. This year, the chapter awarded Distinguished Alumni Awards to Muhammad Atif Sheikh (International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) 2011) and Haseeb Ahmed Kiyani (Legislative Fellow Program 2010) for projects involving disability rights and empowering women, respectively.
During his exchange, Sheikh developed a link between the Embassy and Mobility International USA. Upon his return, he designed and implemented an exchange program for Pakistanis with disabilities, the first exchange program of its kind. Kiyani, who won the 2011 Alumni Engagement and Innovation Fund (AIEF), successfully implemented a two-year campaign development and voter outreach project to train 100 women political leaders of national and provincial assemblies. His campaign also provided first-time voter education seminars for more than 10,000 female university students in the Federal Capital district, Rawalpindi, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Several of the women trained by Kiyani have since been elected to Pakistan’s National Assembly.
The chapter conferred 2013 Emerging Leader Awards to Aleenah Masud (Study of the U.S. Institutes (SUSI) 2010), Maha Yusuf (Global UGRAD 2012), Mubashir Ghani Khawaja (YES 2009-10), and Amal Shakeel (SUSI 2012).
The chapter also recognized senior Fulbright and IVLP alumni who mentor young alumni of the Global UGRAD, YES, and SUSI exchange programs. The DCM presented Certificates of Appreciation to eight Islamabad-based mentors for volunteering their time and expertise. Now in its second year, PUAN’s mentorship program has expanded from just 13 mentors in 2012 to 40 mentors nationwide in 2013. The program aims to deepen connections between exchange alumni from different educational, professional, and socio-economic backgrounds, and to give young alumni the skills they need to enter the workforce.
Check out more photos from the reunion on Flickr.
