North America Alumni Reconnect

With COVID-19 isolation over, LAU alums have been busy holding in-person events throughout North America, revitalizing and reconnecting. They are reuniting with old friends and making new contacts.

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► Detroit chapter members along with friends and family gathered for an Iftar dinner on April 9.

New York, November 17, 2022

► The New York-New Jersey chapter welcomed President Michel E. Mawad on his first trip to New York City as LAU’s leader with a happy hour in Bryant Park on August 22. The chapter followed this up with a fun pre-Thanksgiving happy hour at Lillie’s Victorian Establishment in Midtown Manhattan.

Montreal, December 8, 2022

►Up north in Canada, the Montreal chapter held three events, beginning with a networking event on May 11 in conjunction with the Lebanese Young Chamber of Commerce and friends from the AUB chapter. This was followed on August 28 by a family picnic and a fun meet-and-greet for new chapter committee members at Wienstein & Gavino’s restaurant on December 8.

► In Houston on May 10, chapter president Tania Shaheen and her husband, Wissam Tayssoun, hosted a special chapter gathering in the presence of Dr. Mawad with alumni and LAU pharmacy students, who were completing their clinical rotations in June at Houston’s Methodist Hospital. Later in the year on December 1, Tania and Wissam hosted another gathering to celebrate a second group of pharmacy students completing their rotations.

Washington, DC, October 9, 2022

► The D.C. chapter, always active, continued in this vein. On May 1, alumni and friends welcomed Dr. Mawad to the city’s capital at Mejana Lebanese Restaurant. They gathered again more informally on June 16 for a fun happy hour at Wilson Hardware restaurant. The chapter continued its culinary meetings on October 9, at a “Celebrating Fall” gathering at Bleu Frog Vineyards, another Arlington standout.

Boston, December 7, 2022

► On December 7 the Boston chapter held a re-organizational meeting at Taffer’s Tavern in Watertown, Massachusetts and discussed plans for 2023 with 12 involved alumni attending this meeting.

To date in 2023, four alumni events have been held.

San Mateo, CA, February 12, 2023

► On February 11, the Northern California Chapter hosted a lecture and luncheon at Tannourine Restaurant in San Mateo, CA, where Stanford University’s Dr. Ramzi Salti gave a fascinating lecture on “New Trends in Lebanese Music.”

Tampa, FL, February 25, 2023

► Down south, Lebanese food was the theme as Tampa-St. Petersburg area alums enjoyed reconnecting at the Acropolis Restaurant, and South Florida alums returned to their own favorite restaurant, Sawa.

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Upcoming events include an Iftar in Montreal on April 8, a networking coffee hour in Boston on April 30 and a family picnic in Boston this summer. Several other alumni gatherings are being planned, so stay tuned for announcements from your local chapter.

Alumni who would like to become active members of their own chapters or get involved in supporting their alma mater can reach out to Ed Shiner, Director of Alumni in North America, at: ed.shiner@lau.edu, or Nadya Mikdashi, AVP for Development at: nadya.mikdashi@lau.edu.