Alumni & Friends

North American Alumni Face Off in the WAAAUB North American Trivia Tournament

by MainGate Staff

Fall 2021

It got tense at times as teams from the Central and North Florida, Greater Los Angeles, and Upstate New York Chapters competed against each other in the finals of the Battle of the Chapters – WAAAUB North American Trivia Tournament. “It was a bit stressful,” admitted Wafa Hoballah, president of the winning Greater Los Angeles Chapter, “but there was also a lot of fun, laughter, and camaraderie bringing us together and back in time to our one and only beloved AUB.”

The more than 70 alumni who participated in the trivia tournament as members of 12 WAAAUB chapter teams learned a lot about their “beloved AUB.” There were questions, for example, about the visits of then vice president Lyndon B. Johnson and Malcolm X to the AUB campus, in 1962 and 1964, respectively. There were also questions about famous AUB alumni like Makhlouf Haddadin, Zaha Hadid, and Angela Jurdak Khoury. The questions weren’t all about AUB and Lebanon—although an awful lot of them were.

“You don’t have to look hard to find a Lebanon connection to practically anything,” explained quizmaster and Associate Director of Alumni Relations and Advancement Programs Justin Tessier. Contestants were also quizzed about their knowledge of sports, entertainment, and Lebanese history and geography.

The teams that competed against each other on June 2 earned their places in the finals by winning one of three first-round matches against teams from the Atlanta, Greater Washington DC, and Indiana Chapters (on May 25); the Michigan, Montreal, and New York Metropolitan Chapters (on May 27); and the Houston, Midwest, and Northern California Chapters (also on May 27).

The tournament was a lot of fun. It was also a fundraiser that attracted more than $9,000 in donations for the WAAAUB Southern California Chapter Endowed Scholarship, which is the initiative selected by the winning Greater Los Angeles Chapter. The members of the Upstate New York Chapter worked especially hard to raise money for the WAAAUB Battle of the Chapters Prize Fund. “I am very proud of our chapter,” said Chapter President Dr. Ynesse Abdul-Malak. “It was a great event that highlighted the strength of our community coming together for a great cause and the camaraderie that exists among AUBites regardless of where they are in the world.”

All the participants—and many who did not get a chance to participate this time—agreed that the trivia tournament should be an annual event. There was also a lot of interest in getting chapters from outside North America involved as well. “I look forward to making this trivia tournament a global event, bringing together our alumni chapters in 24 countries—across nine time zones,” said Associate Vice President for Alumni Relations–North America and WAAAUB General Secretary Lina Jazi. “It will be challenging, but a fun thing to do. We’re already starting to prepare the questions. I urge all alumni to start brushing up on their knowledge of AUB and Lebanon!”