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| The Texas A&M University at Qatar students in Castiglion Fiorentino, Italy |
The seminar aims to give students tools to succeed as academic and social leaders as university students and as global thinkers.
Students attended educational sessions to prepare for the transition to university life and expanded their cultural horizons through experiencing Italian culture.
The trip participants from the Texas A&M at Qatar Class of 2015 included Mohamed al-Ramahi, Mohamed al-Sooj, Baher Azzam, Dina Khaled and Omar Suleman. These students were joined in Italy by peers from the Texas A&M University Class of 2015 in College Station, Texas.
“This programme affords some of our incoming students an opportunity to become leaders within their class before new student orientation even begins,” said Rachel White, programme co-ordinator for student engagement in Texas A&M at Qatar.
“During the programme, we support students’ goal-setting and help them create plans for how to leave a positive impact on Texas A&M at Qatar throughout their undergraduate experience.”
Azzam, an Egyptian student participant, said: “I consider what we learned from our student leaders and former Texas A&M students during their presentations to be the most valuable information in the seminar.
“I learned how to make a great first impression on my professors and maintain a healthy relationship with them by engaging in research.
“We also learned how to stand out in University by not making the mistakes most freshmen make due to their inexperience,” Azzam continued.
“These are mistakes that our student leaders and guest speakers made, learned from and shared with us so that we can avoid.”
Azzam says he plans to apply the lessons he learned in the seminar throughout his time at Texas A&M at Qatar because the lessons span a range of important topics, from student life to research.
In addition to discussing university life, the seminar also seeks to expand the international awareness of students as they adapt to an increasingly globalised world.
Al-Ramahi, a Palestinian student participant, said: “If I had to pick one lesson that I’ve learned from this trip, it’s that mingling with and learning from other cultures can be a very interesting and insightful experience. This by itself can teach you many lessons, broaden your horizons and may completely change the way you perceive things. After this seminar, I’m more motivated than ever to seek knowledge about everything around me.”