Dear Alumni,
The “Columbia 2023 Year-End Gala” was successfully held at the Grand Walkerhill Hotel on Friday, December 8th, 2023. A total of 180 alumni attended the event. The first part began with the opening remarks from Dr. Yongho Kim('92GSAS), President of CAA_Korea, followed by the 2023 Annual General Meeting of the Alumni Association. After the general meeting, we had buffet for dinner with a variety of food, sweet desserts, and more than 100 bottles of wine. We also exchanged many pleasant conversations with the alumni for the first time in a long time.
In the second part of the event, we received news about Columbia at home and abroad, including the appointment of Minouche Shafik, the new President of the University, the appointment of Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State, as a professor at the School of International and Public Affairs(SIPA), and the annual activities of the Korean Alumni Association. In addition, in the <Columbia MZ Generation Special Talk> segment which was newly introduced this year, we hosted Hoyoung Lee(‘20SIPA), who was recently awarded as one of the “next generation leaders of Korea” by the Korean government, and Dahee Chung ('19CC), singer and LPGA professional golfer, as guest speakers to talk about Korean Columbia’ MZ generation and their future aspirations.
The final segment was <Columbia Quiz & Games> that many alumni looked forward to. This year, we had the largest amount of sponsorship and prizes ever with about 46% of the participants (1 out of 2) receiving prizes. In particular, the most popular part of the session was awarding the "Emily in Paris" themed best dress award, where 11 alumni came up to the stage and showed off their beauty and cool fashion sense.
Once again, we would like to express our sincere gratitude to our advisory group, auditor, vice presidents and sponsoring alumni who supported and helped make <Columbia 2023 Year-End Gala> a success, as well as thank all the alumni who attended the event. I would also like to express my gratitude to the members of the Operating Board of Directors for their hard work in preparing for this year-end party. In the new year 2024, I wish all the alumni good health and prosperity. May the Goddess of our Columbia Alma Mater always be with you! Happy New Year!
Dr. Yongho Kim('92GSAS), President
Columbia Alumni Association Korea
