From Friendship to Forever: A Love Story Born at IC

Their story began in Grade 11 at IC, where Dana Taher (Class of 1999) was the French girl, and Karim Mirza (Class of 1999) was the English guy. They became best friends by Grade 12, never imagining they would end up together. They attended prom with different partners but found themselves together at the after-party—that’s when they realized their feelings for each other. On Dana’s birthday, June 30, 1999, Karim asked her to be his girlfriend, and their journey officially began.

At IC, they had their fair share of mischief—peeking into each other’s classrooms, cheering at each other’s sports games, and hanging out in the old amphitheater. During graduation rehearsal, they both arrived late and were punished by being barred from rehearsing.

They both attended AUB, where Dana studied psychology and Karim pursued civil engineering. After graduation, Karim moved to Dubai for work, but they kept their relationship strong despite the distance. In August 2005, Karim proposed, and they planned to marry in 2007. However, when war broke out in Lebanon in 2006, they decided not to wait. They had a small, intimate wedding, and the very next day, they flew to Dubai to start their new life together.

“Years later, IC brought us full circle, with our children, Nadine Mirza (Class of 2027) and Ramzi Mirza (Class of 2033), now attending the same school where our journey began.”