BU Asia Alumni Forum Celebrates 20 Years
For alumni across Asia, the annual gathering is much more than a reunion—it’s a way to celebrate a shared bond and the experiences that changed their lives
At the end of March, Singapore hosted the 20th annual Asia Alumni Forum, a weekend-long celebration of community, inspiration, learning, and camaraderie. Photos by Russell Bai, FangYuanHong (Hong Kong) Culture Media Limited Services
BU Asia Alumni Forum Celebrates 20 Years
For alumni across Asia, the annual gathering is much more than a reunion—it’s a way to celebrate a shared bond and the experiences that changed their lives
Not too long ago, Somerton Sio was at a meeting of World Curling, the global governing body of the Olympic and Paralympic winter sport. President of Curling Association Singapore, Sio (CAS’09) remembers looking around the room—filled with representatives from all the countries advocating for ways to promote the sport—when he suddenly flashed back nearly 20 years.
As an undergraduate student at Boston University, Sio was one of a handful of people who founded the BU Curling Club. In those scrappy times, “running around the GSU begging for donations, or cleaning up Agganis Arena after yet another event,” Sio says, he never dreamed that one day he would be sitting “among all the major curling countries.”
“There are things you can explore at the University that just really aren’t easily replicated elsewhere,” Sio says.
Now, Sio, who is a flight operations inspector for the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, describes curling as one of his side jobs. His other side gig? He’s president of the Boston University Alumni Association of Singapore, one node in a network of BU alumni groups across Asia—with others including mainland China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and Thailand.
This network, to which thousands of alumni belong, recently reached a milestone: At the end of March, Singapore hosted the 20th annual Asia Alumni Forum, a weekend-long celebration of community, inspiration, learning, and camaraderie. At a venue overlooking Singapore’s scenic Marina Bay, more than 200 BU alumni discussed big ideas about the future of work, education, and resilient cities—and just generally enjoyed each other’s company.
“You feel a shared bond with everyone there, even though we all went to Boston University in different years and at different times,” Sio says.
“You can talk about walking two miles down Comm Ave in a blizzard, guided by the Citgo sign, and everyone can relate,” he adds, laughing.
BU’s Global Footprint
BU President Melissa Gilliam joined the celebration. The forum was part of her global welcome tour, which also included events in Athens, Greece, and eight cities in the US over the past two years. During each stop, Gilliam met with local alumni leaders—and often government, industry, and community leaders—to build enduring partnerships with the University.
“I knew well before I arrived that Boston University was a major research university with a global footprint,” she said during an event at the Asia Alumni Forum. “But as I met with the campus community and alumni, I learned more and more about how far, and how deep, our global engagement truly is. And I knew I had to begin traveling abroad, to meet with people like you, to begin writing the next chapter in our global story.”
She outlined the University’s North Star vision and the strategic framework supporting it, and emphasized the important role alumni play in BU’s future success.
“Each of you is here because you care about Boston University,” she said. “You are what enables this institution to be the remarkable place that it is…. We need your ideas, your compassion, your spirit, your wisdom, and your energy. And especially right now, as higher ed itself faces headwinds, the imperative to play a larger role on the international stage is fundamentally existential.”
Among the University officials who joined to celebrate the forum’s milestone and its enduring legacy, were Gloria Waters, provost and chief academic officer; Wendy Colby, vice president and associate provost for BU Virtual and the Institute for Excellence in Teaching & Learning; and Penny Bishop, dean of Wheelock College of Education & Human Development.
In addition to Sio, a number of alumni leaders and local industry leaders attended the event, including Heng Swee Keat, chair of the National Research Foundation and former deputy prime minister of Singapore; BU trustee Hugo Shong (COM’87), founding chair of IDG Capital; Tim Zhang (Questrom’16), venture partner at Pitch; and Glenda Chong (COM’97), news anchor and presenter.
BU’s Impact on Alums
For Sio and other alumni, the forum is much more than a reunion. This gathering, which in the last two decades paused only once for the COVID-19 pandemic, is a testament to the impact BU had—and continues to have—in their lives.
Young-Jae Han (Questrom’79), former president of the Boston University Alumni Association of Korea, says that he decided to get involved with his alumni group “out of a belief in dedicating myself to fellow alumni.
“My time in Boston—from the fall of 1977 to the summer of 1979—played a profound role in my life,” he says. “The University felt like a cradle that prepared me for my entry into society, and this naturally fostered a deep sense of affection and gratitude toward the school. As exchanges among Asia alumni took root, I found great fulfillment in seeing these connections flourish.”
Han recalls the first international gathering he helped organize. In 2005, an informal group of 130 BU alumni from Korea and Japan gathered in Tokyo. “Although it was our first time meeting face-to-face, lively exchanges began immediately, as if we were long‑standing friends,” he says.
Building on this momentum, “an Asia alumni event was held in Seoul on September 23, 2006; 146 BU alumni from Japan, China, Hong Kong, and Korea participated, marking the beginning of what would become a lasting tradition,” he says. “I sincerely hope that younger alumni will continue to build relationships with senior alumni across borders, carrying forward a strong sense of belonging to and pride in the University.”
Others echo his description of BU’s formative presence in their lives, including Jed Barron (Questrom’96,’27), the current president of BU’s Korea alumni association.
“The incredibly vibrant international community at BU impacted me from my early days as a student,” says Barron, who works in the finance industry. “The opportunity to meet and learn from students and faculty from around the world was both humbling and intriguing. It also opened new doors for me, including the opportunity to first visit and work in Asia. My experience at BU and interactions with different people and cultures have helped me shape and build my own career, much of which has been spent in Asia.”
Barron, Han, and Sio all emphasize that the relationship-building didn’t stop when they graduated. The network of alumni across Asia and beyond continues to offer new opportunities to learn and connect.
“From the first alumni event I attended in Korea many years ago, I realized this association was special,” Barron says. “I have always felt welcomed by both older and younger alumni, people who are all passionate about BU and the alumni community. The relationships formed here have had a fundamental impact on both my personal and professional life. For many of us, the association is also a way to stay connected with the school. Despite coming from different backgrounds, our commonality and passion for BU tie us all together.”