Vandalur to Vegas

 

On January 27th the U.S. Crescent alumni got together in Las Vegas, Nevada for a two day reunion that brought back old memories and created unforgettable new ones. Almost 90 alumni from all over the country and several more from India and UAE, poured in, double the number of alumni than had been originally expected. While a few hit the road in groups driving into Vegas most alumni flew in from cities across the United States - Washington DC, New York, Austin, Chicago, Phoenix to name a few.  While some came to catch up with old friends and to make new friends, some came for professional networking, and most came to enjoy all three. No matter the reason, every alumni made it a special all day fun filled reunion in Vegas.

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As alumni checked in at New York New York Casino Hotel on Friday, January 27th, specially ordered reunion T-shirts were handed out. Three days before the event the whole shipment of T-shirts had been lost by UPS, but in-charge Waseem, determined, had the supplier redo all 91 T-shirts and ship it overnight. As alumni from 1988 to 2012 batches poured in there was constantly a question of which batch was in the lead in most number of registrations. On the line was a large silver trophy that would be presented to whoever had the most registrations by 6:00 pm on Saturday, Jan 28th.

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What with Las Vegas being Las Vegas, the group toured the city Friday night and as many as 75 alumni took a bus tour to the Hoover Dam next morning.

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The bus tour, which was filled with off tune covers of songs, cards and games was a chance for reconciliation after many of the alumni hadn’t seen each other in decades.

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As twilight set in on Saturday, Jan 28th, the long awaited official night kicked off which was filled with memorable presentations and speeches from the acting president of the U.S. Crescent Alumni Mr. Aju Koshy (1994 batch), Global Alumni President Mr. Sujit Tharakan and the Chairman Mr. Abdul Qadir himself. There was a special thrill and air of excitement as each batch shared their Vandalur to Vegas experience, treasured memories, values of the alumni chapter,networking and also setting a direction for the future of U.S. Alumni Chapter.

It was time to announce the winner -- Congratulations to the 1993 batch which received the trophy for the most number of registrations, well deserved!

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Perhaps what most symbolized the exceptional nature of this reunion, was the presence of the 1988 batch alumni. Three decades after their graduation, there they were like everyone else, seeing friends of their own batch for the first time in 29 years. To everyone though, the nostalgia of the experience was so, that it felt as if it was only yesterday that they were in college. But as all good things come to an end, it was soon time for everyone to say goodbye and leave, which they did with reluctance.

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Even after all these years, despite being scattered across the country, the alumni keep in touch but to quote an alumnus from 2007 batch, “Though we are digitally connected in many ways, this reunion had a special spirit, sport, and enthusiasm marking it an unforgettable historic event”. Thanks to all the alumni who came for making it an experience that will live in all of our hearts and a special thanks also to those who were unable to attend but registered and contributed.

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It was a wonderful reunion, and everyone please continue to keep in touch. Thanks to the education Crescent gave us -- it was an enlightening experience. All alumni, and future alumni of Crescent, remember that this experience does not end with a college degree on paper, it continues with the alumni network. Stay connected and stay engaged!