LONDON — The Northeastern University family was in full force for Thanksgiving as President Joseph E. Aoun joined students, faculty and staff for the annual home-away-from-home celebration dinner in London.
Close to 200 Northeastern students celebrated the American holiday and enjoyed all the Thanksgiving traditions in Bloomsbury, central London, on an unseasonably mild Thursday evening.
It was the sixth time that Aoun had marked Thanksgiving in London. The president also joined students at the Thompson Madrid hotel in the Spanish capital on Tuesday and in Rome at the Casina Valadier villa on Sunday for the U.S. holiday.
He said it was “touching” to see how students were “blossoming” while studying abroad. Many of them told him it was their first ever opportunity to travel outside the United States, Aoun said.
“Some people tonight are saying to me that it is the first Thanksgiving they have ever had because they are coming from different countries and I love that,” he added. “They are discovering the world and then they are going to shape it.”
Third-year business student Meriam Chebil told those celebrating Thanksgiving at the Bloomsbury Ballroom, that the menu had everything to make it the real deal — “turkey, mashed potatoes, collard greens, mac-and-cheese — and enough gravy to fill the Thames.”
Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun joins Northeastern London students and staff for a Thanksgiving meal at Bloomsbury Ballroom in London on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. Photos by James Gifford Mead for Northeastern University
Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun joins Northeastern London students and staff for a Thanksgiving meal at Bloomsbury Ballroom in London on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. Photos by James Gifford Mead for Northeastern University
Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun joins Northeastern London students and staff for a Thanksgiving meal at Bloomsbury Ballroom in London on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. Photos by James Gifford Mead for Northeastern University
Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun joins Northeastern London students and staff for a Thanksgiving meal at Bloomsbury Ballroom in London on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. Photos by James Gifford Mead for Northeastern University
Northeastern President Joseph E. Aoun joins Northeastern London students and staff for a Thanksgiving meal at Bloomsbury Ballroom in London on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. Photos by James Gifford Mead for Northeastern University
Students were able to work off their Thanksgiving dinner with some dancefloor steps during the celebration in London on Thursday. Photos by James Gifford Mead for Northeastern University
Chebil, from Los Angeles, had a special word of thanks for the university president for traveling to be with the cohort of students based in Britain.
“I’m thankful we only had to go a few stops on the Tube to be able to celebrate together,” said Chebil, who was the compere for the night. “Seeing President Aoun here today, I know that he’s traveled a long way and sacrificed a family gathering to be here with us, the Northeastern London family.”
Aoun told the students that he had plenty to be thankful for himself, as he invited them to applaud the staff who had organized the event and those who work on the London campus. “I’d like to thank the team that has been taking care of you students from day one here,” he said, before inviting staff to stand and be recognized.
Among the students and the smattering of staff and faculty in attendance was an American who was sampling their first Thanksgiving feast. Valerie Hsu, a first-year business administration and law student from California, said her family does not usually mark the secular occasion. “I’ve come to the U.K. to have my first Thanksgiving dinner — it is kind of contradictory,” said the 18-year-old, laughing.
Her friends had given her a practice run, making a Thanksgiving dinner a few nights before the Northeastern-arranged celebration.
Joseph Aoun, president of Northeastern University, joined students in Rome for their Thanksgiving celebrations earlier in the week. Photos by Pier Paolo Carletti for Northeastern University
Laid out family-style over six long banqueting tables, as well as the traditional turkey and stuffing, diners were also served cornbread and mashed sweet potatoes topped with grilled marshmallows, while pumpkin pie was offered for dessert. The ballroom was decked out with a fall theme, with orange flowers on the table and displays of different colored pumpkins.
“I think it is really nice that they’ve given us this opportunity for the people who couldn’t go home over the break to be able to come together,” Hsu said. “I’m very thankful for that.”
Thanksgiving traces its roots back to Massachusetts in the 17th century and it has been marked on the last Thursday in November as a national day of celebration since 1863. Today in America, it is often marked by family gatherings and extended meals, where participants share what they have to be thankful for.
Ren Mills, president of the Student Union, might be British but she took full part in the spirit of the occasion as she told the packed hall what she was thankful for this year.
“I am very grateful for the Northeastern global network and all our clubs and societies here in London as they have allowed me to make so many friendships and relationships that I will cherish for the rest of my life,” she said.
One student, Cara Mack, had opted to spend Thanksgiving with her friends even though her family was in town, with her parents having opted to swap North Carolina for the U.K. for the holiday.
“I saw my parents yesterday, I’ll see them tomorrow and all the way up until next week,” said the 20-year-old business administration major. “But given that it is my third and final year, I definitely wanted the opportunity to check it off the list — having gone to the Thanksgiving dinner — especially because it is just such a great way to see all of my friends and get the chance to dress up.”
Photo by Paula Rosell for Northeastern University
Photo by Paula Rosell for Northeastern University
Photo by Paula Rosell for Northeastern UniversityNoe
Northeastern students in Madrid held their Thanksgiving celebrations early as they welcomed President Aoun to their dinner. Photos by Paula Rosell for Northeastern University
As Aoun closed out the night with a short address to the students, he had one eye firmly fixed on the front of the room where a dancefloor had been set up and a DJ was positioned, eagerly waiting to start the night’s partying.
But he wasn’t content to start the dance without hearing a song from a talented student first. With her mic still in hand, Chebil stepped up to the plate, delivering a rendition of Adele’s version of “Make You Feel My Love.”
With the hall in raptures after her vocal performance, the president saw his cue.
“Let’s enjoy the evening, let’s start dancing,” said Aoun, as he led the way to the dancefloor.