Sri Lanka Chapter Launched (19 Jan, 2013)
The APU Student & Alumni Association’s most recent chapter was launched inSri Lankaon 19 January 2013. The event was held at Galadari Hotel inColomboand was well attended by APU graduates and their families. Also present at the event were Dr. Mani. A, Vice President of APU, Mr. Harin Gunawardena, APU representative in Sri Lanka, Mr. Funaki Kaitu’u, Admissions Officer in charge of Sri Lanka and Mr. Eugene Wanyama, fomer Alumni Officer and current Admissions Officer. The emcee of the event was Ms. Deepthi Peiris, the Vice President of the Chapter.
The proceedings started with the lighting of the traditional oil lamp first by the guests then by the committee members. This honors an age old Sri Lankan tradition commemorating the start of auspicious events. This was followed by a speech by Ms. Mali Dias, President of the Committee, who thanked the guests as well as APU officials who were instrumental in the forming of the chapter but were unable to attend. She also thanked the committee and other alumni gathered for taking their time to attend the event and urged them for support in the future.
This led into a speech by Dr. Mani, who congratulated the graduates on their commendable efforts and urged them to continue acting as ambassadors for APU and be strong bridges to connectJapanandSri Lanka.
The emcee stand was then taken by Mr. Funaki who announced the new committee members. They are as follows:
President: MaliDias
Vice President: Deepthi Peiris
Secretary: Ruzmil Mohamed
Secretary: Ashika Rupasinghe
P.R: Thilina Fonseka
Accountant: Ausha Ranatunga
Thus the Sri Lankan Chapter was officially declared open and all present converged for a group photo. This was then followed by a photo slideshow of the time spent by Sri Lankan alumni in APU. The floor was then opened for wining and dining. The atmosphere in the room was warm as old friends introduced their families to each other and new friendships were made. Halfway through the dining session, the Committee presented gifts to the guests in attendance as well as some to be carried back to APU for Mr. Shinozaki and Mr. Nakamura who had offered tremendous guidance in the formation of the chapter. Mr. Funaki then gave an appeal on behalf of the APU Admissions Office for the graduates to support recruiting efforts. This was followed by a request by Mr. Wanyama for the graduates to keep their information updated on the alumni database and to keep the APU fire alive by convening at least once a year. APU merchandise was then gifted to the attendees as a token of appreciation and acknowledgement from the University and the Alumni Association
It was a pleasant evening for all present. The APU Student & Alumni Association wishes the Sri Lanka Chapter all the best as it takes its first steps.
If you would like to form a chapter in the region where you live, please visit the following us at apualumn@apu.ac.jp
