KARACHI: The US consul general and the United States Educational Found­ation in Pakistan (USEFP) in collaboration with Educ­ation USA Pakistan organised on Tuesday a pre-departure orientation ceremony for more than 100 students who will begin their graduate and undergraduate programmes in different colleges and universities in the United States this fall.

The evening began with fun activities. Students were asked to share the name of their college and which state it was located in by using a red laser pointer on an interactive map of the USA.

Some like Mustafa got it right as he said he was going to be attending the Califor­nia Polytechnic State Univer­­si­­ty before pointing towards California which lit up then.

But there were also others with no idea about where their college or university was such as M. Waqas who was going to the Washington State University but pointed to Oregon on the map and Daniyal who was going to California but pointed to Nevada.

This was followed by an activity for parents where they were asked general knowledge questions about the USA such as which father and son duo had served as presidents of the USA, which country had gifted the Statue of Liberty to America or how many cents made up a dime?

There were also pictures of Hollywood actors being flashed on the big screen for them to name. This was followed by a raffle draw for the students where the winners were presented with gift vouchers to get things such as various items for their dorm room or books.

The students were then encouraged to take part in breakout sessions with other students also going to US universities in September along with students already studying there for some helpful tips and counsellors who could guide and prepare them ahead of starting this new chapter of their lives.

Congratulating the students, Kimberly Everett, an officer at the US Consulate Karachi, said they should know how fortunate they are to have gotten admission in some of the best universities of the world.

“The US is still there for you as a destination of education and we are so happy and excited for all of you as you begin this new chapter in your lives,” she said.

“You will be like your country’s ambassadors in the US. You can tell about your country and its people to others who don’t know much about Pakistan. You can also learn from the new friends you make in the US about their country and culture,” she said.

“The interaction benefits you as well as them,” she added.

Susan Ross, acting cultural attaché at the US Consulate Karachi, also congratulated all the students on their admission to US educational institutions.

It was explained that there has been a 14.7 per cent increase of students from Pakistan in the US recently.

Published in Dawn, July 19th, 2018