At the American International University-Bangladesh (AIUB), a deep commitment has long been shown to gender equity, inclusiveness, and women’s empowerment. Over the years, these values have been promoted through leadership opportunities, mentorship, counseling, and capacity-building initiatives, by which women have been enabled to thrive in academia and beyond. As part of this ongoing journey, September 10, 2025, was proudly celebrated at AIUB as the first International Returning Mothers Day: Celebrating Women Rebuilding Careers. The entire event was thoughtfully organized by AIUB-IQAC, AIUB Women Forum, and AIUB Social Welfare Club-SHOMOY in collaboration with WePOWER, embodying a collective vision to honor women rejoining the workforce after a career break, raise awareness of the challenges they face, and inspire a united call for support. Through this global initiative, women rejoining the workforce after a career break were honored and welcomed, and awareness of the challenges they face was raised while a collective call for support was made. The celebration was initiated with a spirited rally, after which the panel discussion on “Nurturing Comebacks: Mentorship for Mothers Returning to their Dreams” was held. The discussion was inaugurated with a symbolic cake-cutting ceremony, by which joy and renewal were shared.

A diverse group of panelists was invited, representing different perspectives, Prof. Dr. Carmen Z. Lamagna (Former Vice Chancellor and Honorable Member, Board of Trustees, AIUB), Prof. Dr. Md. Abdur Rahman (Pro-Vice Chancellor, AIUB), Ms. Susmita Ghosh (Associate Professor and Assessor, IQAC), Ms. Nazia Farhana (Assistant Professor and Additional Director, IQAC), Mr. Redwan Faiz (Associate Professor, EEE), Ms. Rizvina Sultana (Manager, Regional Implementation and Operations, Summit Communications Ltd.), and Ms. Mahjareen Gaffar (Counselor from wEvolve). Through their participation, rich experiences and inspiring insights were shared, and meaningful dialogue on mentorship, inclusivity, and supportive policies for returning mothers and fathers was generated. To enrich the program further, an engaging presentation titled “Why Women Live Longer than Men” was delivered by Dr. Muhammad Wasiful Alam (Head, MPH), through which the audience was captivated with both scientific perspectives and reflections on gender differences in life experiences. A large number of students, faculties and officials were present in the event. A meaningful platform for celebrating resilience, encouraging inclusiveness, and championing the dreams of returning mothers worldwide was thus created at AIUB.