Event Date: June 6, 2020
It’s that time of year again. As another school year wraps up, the NCCU IMBA’s Student Council hosted an award-winning, Oscars theme Gala at the Okura Prestige Hotel for IMBA students to enjoy one last hurrah together. This year, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the gala also served as the venue for a small graduation ceremony for our graduating IMBA classmates. The night was packed with reminiscing, good food, and finally lots of dancing!
Figure 1: Gala Night Invitation
The night kicked off at 6pm with the graduation ceremony, which was a combined effort on the parts of the IMBA office and IMBA Student Council. Speeches were given by Vincent Chen, Director of the IMBA program, Shari Shang, Associate Dean of the College of Commerce, as well as Thacha Tapaneeyakorn, current IMBA Student Council president. Following the speeches, award certificates were presented to current Student Council members, Dragon Boat Club members, and Oath Club members, in recognition for their contributions to the IMBA experience this year. Next, graduating IMBA students were called to the stage one-by-one to receive their diplomas. Finally, the graduation ceremony finished with a short video of the graduating class’ time during the last two years and a group photo session. We will miss you, class of 2020!!!
Figure 2: Graduating class gathers for group photo
It was now 7pm, and the night was still young. Following the graduation ceremony, the gala portion of the night officially kicked off. Because such a nice venue was chosen, there was lots of good food to enjoy. A mixture of Asian and European style dishes was available, as well as lots of good wine and of course Taiwanese beer. At 8:30pm, the Student Council returned to the stage and announced some surprise games. First, everyone was told to look under their chairs, as red envelopes filled with money were hidden under several seats. Most of the envelopes with filled with fake money for the entertainment value, but some of the envelopes were filled with real money! The second game involved a vote for best dressed as well as several other titles. As each title was announced, the drum rolled and cheering filled the room. Loudly, people guessed who would win the title sometimes correctly and sometimes incorrectly. But all the winners were deserving and were received with much fanfare.
Figure 3: Game results - graduating class votes on "most likely to..." titles
Figure 4: Enjoying the drink and atmosphere
Figure 5: Looking sharp posing for the camera
At this point, the night entered its final stage: dancing! The dance floor was enjoyed until just shy of midnight when the DJ called it quits. A good mix of music was played so everyone could have fun. Budding dance stars even were witnessed as two small children showed the crowd how to do the backpack kid Floss move.
Once again, thank you to the IMBA Student Council and IMBA office for the wonderful night!
Figure 6: Graduating seniors having a blast!
Figure 7: Freshmen batch also having a blast!
