On a mildly cold evening of November 25^th, many familiar faces showed up at the Westin Chosun Hotel around 7pm. They were alumni and professors from the KDI School, who hurriedly headed to the downtown at the end of their busy day at work. The occasion that brought them together was the annual Year-end Alumni Dinner, where they convened to celebrate this year’s success and greet the upcoming year.

The event opened with welcoming remarks by Dean Nam, followed by Associate Dean Wook Sohn’s presentation about the school’s recent growth and innovation. Many advances the School had made during the past year received a big round of applause from the audience.

President of the KDI School Alumni Association, Mr. Dong Sik Jeong (2002 MBA, Korea) expressed his joy in seeing many alumni at the event. “The human network of the KDI School is growing wider and stronger,” he observed, “and we stand ready to help each other in times of need.” Eleven professors present also had a great time at the dinner. “It is such a pleasure to meet again the students I taught years ago,” Prof. Anthony Michell noted.

More than a hundred participants were served with a delectable meal. While everyone was enjoying each other’s company, series of entertainment—belly dance, magic performance, group games and lottery draws— kept the audience amused for full two hours. It was a time to reaffirm the friendship and solidarity of the KDI School community.

Our international alumni also gathered all over the globe, on the same date and time (Nov. 25^th, 7 o’clock). Although the time difference forbade completely simultaneous gatherings worldwide, everyone appreciated a bigger presence of the entire KDI School alumni and equally enjoyed being part of the family.

By Chanju LEE (2011 MPP, Korea)