The BU Asian Alumni Committee is known as one of the most robust and organized alumni associations across the globe. And the 2021 Kuala Lumpur Planning Committee has been hard at work to create a meaningful and engaging event for alumni to connect with fellow Terriers and re-engage with the community. The weekend is sure to be a great opportunity to expand your network while celebrating Asian culture. This is also the first time that the Asian Alumni Festival has gone virtual—which means that you can participate in this global event from the comfort of your own home!
Read on to learn about the weekend’s events, speakers, and more.
Friday, November 12
Kick off #BUAsianFest by celebrating with Terriers in your own city. Meet up with local alumni in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Jakarta, Indonesia; or Tokyo, Japan, as you enjoy a night of good food and connection. With gatherings hosted in the exclusive Royal Lake Club Kuala Lumpur and the P.C.M. Pub Cardinal Marunouchi, these events will help you reunite with your BU community and build your excitement about all the fun to come.
Saturday, November 13
Asian Alumni Festival: Networking
6–7 am ET | Online (Gather Town)
Connect with other Terriers from Asia and around the globe by joining a special BU Asian Alumni Networking event. This is a great opportunity to make professional contacts in a variety of fields and reunite with fellow Terriers.
Asian Alumni Festival: Special Lecture
6–7 am ET | Online (Gather Town)
This year’s speakers include Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed (GRS’82) and Ali Salman (GRS’06). As minister of economic affairs for the prime minister’s department, Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed oversees the overall medium- and long-term socioeconomic development planning of Malaysia. Ali Salman works as the executive director of the Policy Research Institute of Market Economy (PRIME), an independent economic think tank in Pakistan that he founded in 2013. Both graduated from Boston University with master’s degrees in economics and are sure to deliver an impactful message on Saturday night about the world after COVID-19.
Sunday, November 14
Community Coloring Evening
6–6:30 am ET | Online (Zoom)
Let your creativity flow as Mazura Illani Manshoor (MET’96) leads you on a fun guided journey through coloring sheets. Whether an artist or an artist at heart, you can enjoy a relaxing break as you color and chat with fellow alumni. While you can bring your own coloring sheets to participate, you can also choose from five original coloring sheets that Mazura created just for the BU 2021 Asian Alumni Festival.
A Peek at Malaysia’s Unique Culture
7–8 am ET | Online (Zoom)
Take a glimpse into the beauty of Malaysia and its unique diversity through this enriching journey. Led by a professional tour guide, the online experience offers the chance for participants to deepen their knowledge of Malaysian culture and understand why Malaysia is “Truly Asia.”
This event is limited to 25 participants, first come, first served, and spots are filling up.
Fun Package
Show your BU pride by having a themed virtual background, rocking out to curated Spotify playlists, downloading coloring pages to explore your inner child, and more. And remember to tag @BUalumni with #BUAsianFest when sharing all the fun on social media.
Start off the weekend right by listening to some of today’s top hits in Malaysia:
Then explore your inner child and color away. Download and print any of the BU Asian Alumni Festival coloring pages, created specifically for this event by Mazura Illani Manshoor (MET’96), founder and CEO of CreateeKit, and Masliza Manshoor. Tag your artwork @BUAlumni and #BUAsianFest to show us your masterpiece. As you hop onto your Zoom meetings, remember to download and use the festival’s Zoom background to show your spirit during each event:
And if you ever need a break from all the festivities, try your hand at a digital BU Jigsaw Puzzle. The 12 custom digital puzzles feature some of BU’s most iconic images and can even be adjusted for difficulty by choosing the orientation, background, and number of pieces that make up each puzzle.