Talk about a great first event! CEU alumni in Kazakhstan met for a unique first-ever reunion last month—and in the process boosted their chapter’s standing in the CEU Alumni Campaign to fifth place worldwide in terms of member participation.
Eight people pledged to the campaign during the September 22 meeting in Almaty, donating hundreds of dollars towards the CEU community.
These contributions bring the group’s total for the year to more than $550. The increase in the number of donors, from two to ten, has upped the group’s internal participation rate from 2.3 to 11.62 percent. In terms of dollars raised, Kazakhstan’s now ranks 21st among CEU alumni groups. There are currently 86 CEU alumni living in Kazakhstan.
Event organizers were pleased, and say they hope the chapter will keep it up.
“Myself and other alumni benefitted greatly from our CEU experience,” said Dilyara Teshebayeva, CEU Alumni and Friends in Kazakhstan chapter leader. “It gave us a very special network of people that I think should continue to be active.”
Held at KIMEP University, last month’s reunion was the first of its kind for the group, and featured an opening lecture by Columbia University Professor Rafis Abazov, plus a screening of the 15-minute cut of Peter Almond’s documentary ceu20. The evening continued at a local restaurant, for networking and refreshments.
Alumni fundraising benefits several aspects of CEU life, including the Alumni Scholarship, which is supporting 21 students at CEU this year. Learn more about the Alumni Campaign here.
Dilyara said she hopes that last month’s event is just the start and that the Kazakh alumni will stay active and match the success of alumni chapters in adjacent countries, such as that in Kyrgyzstan. However, she noted that obstacles exist: the vast size of Kazakhstan—the world’s ninth largest country—often means that alumni live thousands of kilometers apart, making organization difficult.
“It will be a challenge to build a network [beyond] Facebook,” she said. “But I think we will find the right formula."
To learn more about CEU Alumni and Friends in Kazakhstan, click here.