UCL’s recent visit to the East Coast of the United States brought together more than 80 alumni across two vibrant networking events in Boston and New York.
These events – following two earlier university visits to the US in 2025 – mark a deepening connection with our alumni community across the country.
Building momentum in Boston
The Boston alumni reception welcomed graduates to Bluestone Lane Harvard Square Café for a relaxed evening of conversation and connection.
Alumnus Dhrupad Karwa (UCL Economics BSc 2013) delivered a powerful talk reflecting on how his time at UCL laid the foundation for his entrepreneurial journey. Dhrupad co-founded HaikuJAM, a social writing app that enables people to create stories and poetry collaboratively. The app has since been acquired. In recognition of his work, Dhrupad, along with his fellow co-founders, was named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list in 2020. Dhru is now Product Lead at Common Sense Machines, building 3D generative AI models and agents to solve creative workflows.
The event drew the largest number of attendees in the city in recent years. The UCL community in Boston continues to grow in both strength and energy, thanks to the work of the UCL Boston Alumni Group, led by Daniel Hawkins (UCL Geography BA 2000), Anna Amoiradaki (UCL Economics BSc 2001) and Serena Pang (UCL Clinical Neuroscience MSc 2020). The group have hosted several successful events over the last year, including a summer rooftop social and a send-off for incoming students. Plans are underway for a holiday gathering later this year, and a special event in February 2026 to mark the start of UCL’s bicentennial celebrations.
Rekindling connections in New York
The following evening, more than 50 alumni from across the Tri-State area gathered at Bluestone Lane’s Chelsea Piers location for an evening of reconnection and reflection.
Guests were joined by Dr Michael Spence, UCL President & Provost, and Angharad Milenkovic, Vice-President (Advancement), who shared university updates and celebrated the thriving alumni community in New York. Much of that momentum is thanks to the UCL New York Alumni Group volunteers – Neha Anand (UCL Economics and Policy of Energy and Environment MSc 2012), Tres Seippel (UCL International Real Estate and Planning MA 2012) and Freddy MacKee (UCL Digital Anthropology MSc 2015) – who organise an impressive range of events that build community throughout the year.
The reception featured words and insights from Matthew Barzun, UCL Honorary Fellow and former US Ambassador to the UK, who spoke about how to have constructive dialogue. Matthew Barzun has held executive leadership roles at CNET Networks and was the National Finance Chair for President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign. A graduate of Harvard University, Matthew is also the author of The Power of Giving Away Power: How the Best Leaders Learn to Let Go.
Matthew’s message, paired with reflections from Dr Michael Spence on disagreeing well, sparked a lively evening of thoughtful and meaningful conversation. Through a series of events, resources and news, UCL’s Disagreeing Well initiative, which launched in 2023, looks at how we can co-exist in a diverse community where many differences of opinion are passionately held and personally felt.
Following the US trip, Angharad Milenkovic, Vice-President (Advancement), said:
It was a real pleasure to reconnect with so many UCL graduates on the East Coast. I’m continually inspired by how our alumni take what they learned in London and apply it to make their mark, across industries, across the globe and in so many meaningful ways. These events highlight the strength of our alumni and supporter community in the United States. It’s a connection that will only grow stronger as UCL enters its third century.
UCL Alumni across the pond
Today, more than 24,000 former UCL students live across the United States. This includes not only alumni who completed full degrees in London, but also those who spent a semester or year abroad at UCL.
And across the US, UCL has seven active alumni groups, led by volunteers in cities from Boston to Chicago to Houston. These groups host a range of professional networking events, social gatherings, and community initiatives throughout the year – helping our global UCL community stay connected locally.
Whether you’re based in the US or elsewhere in the world, you can discover upcoming alumni events on the UCL Alumni website and by checking your inbox for the latest news and opportunities from UCL.
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(L) UCL Boston Alumni Reception, 16 September; (R) UCL New York Alumni Reception, 17 September
