GU-Q students reflect upon paths tread and roads ahead

They all come from different countries – Algeria, US/Pakistan, Lebanon, and Qatar – but they share the same bond through their choice of school for their undergraduate years.

“I was originally going to go to NYU (New York University) in the US, but after an initial visit, I decided to come back home and attend GU-Q. And I’m so glad that I did, because I have come to love the people and the environment here at the school,” said Qatari student Fatma al-Malki, who is majoring in Culture and Politics.

She made the most of the benefits of a world-class education close to home, earning a place in the Phi Beta Kappa National Academic Honour Society

Fatma also became involved in The Women’s Society and Development club on campus, which raised QR90,000 for breast cancer awareness in just three hours at one event.

She also worked to recruit volunteers for Teach for Qatar and co-founded the scholarly student publication, Diwan magazine, serving as editor-in-chief for various issues.

Education City was Khadija Mahsud’s first choice, because she wanted to break out of her comfort zone: “My family was hesitant to send me all the way to the US from Islamabad, so Doha was the perfect middle ground.”

The International Politics major found herself taking part in organised sports for the first time when she joined the GU-Q women’s basketball team, which won the championship in the Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Basketball Tournament this academic year.

And despite the rigorous practice schedule, she maintained the grades to garner a Scholar-Athlete award as well.

Khadija is also a member of the Middle East Student Scholar Association (MESSA), took an active role in the school’s long tradition of the Model United Nations (MUN), and took part in the Qatar Foundation Undergraduate Research Experience Programme (UREP) grant-funded study about Doha’s urban spaces called Doha by Design.

Khadija will also be inducted in the Phi Beta Kappa National Academic Honour Society.

Mohamed Khalil Harb was recently awarded honours in his chosen major, Culture and Politics, after he completed a 155-page dissertation entitled Living and Imagining City Spaces: The Case of Beirut.

He was also inducted into Phi Beta Kappa National Academic Honour Society. He travelled to Cambodia, Germany, Poland, and Northern Ireland through Georgetown service learning trips, a hallmark of the school’s approach to hands-on education.

An active role in the MUN programme, where he was elected Secretary General and President of the board, also sent him all over the world.

He also had an article published in a student scholar journal that GU-Q’s MESSA recently launched, the first of its kind in the Middle East.

He hopes to complete a doctoral programme, and eventually return to GU-Q as a professor.

His advice for students just beginning their university education is simple: “Prepare for change.”

International Economics major Touhami Abi said his four years at GU-Q has dramatically changed the way he understands the way the world works.

He took part in student government as well as the GU-Q football team.

An inductee into the Phi Beta Kappa honour society, he was also a member of the honour council, both of which recognise his dedication to academic excellence.

He hopes to obtain a Master’s degree and eventually return to Algeria so that he can apply his education to the development challenges back home.

Georgetown offers students several internship opportunities as an introduction to the working world.

But for Qatari student Sara al-Misnad, an International Politics major, an internship at a bank helped her realise exactly what she did not want to do.

“I was at a desk from 9am to 5pm, reviewing numbers all day. I was advised to go into investment or finance, but after that, I realised it wasn’t for me. I wanted to be in the field, working with people. As a student, working with people is something I learned I loved. That was a real turning point in realising what I want to do.”

Sara, who was inducted into Alpha Sigma Nu, the Jesuit Honour Society and Pi Sigma Alpha, the National Political Science Honour Society, served on the board of directors and as a chair at MUN for two years, as well as vice-president of the student government association.

She was a board member of the Hope club, a recruiter for Teach for Qatar, a junior analyst for the student investment fund, treasurer of the Best Buddies Club for special needs kids, and editor of Diwan magazine.

Sara was also one of only five students to have won the 2014 HBKU President’s Award, a certificate and medallion honouring all-around performance.

Her ambition will be taking her to University College London after graduation to pursue a Master’s degree in management.

After that, she says, the sky’s the limit.

Currently offering a four-year liberal arts curriculum with majors in International Politics, International Economics, Culture & Politics, and the recently-launched International History degree, GU-Q has seen steady annual increases in enrolment numbers.

In total, 19 men and 28 women representing 17 countries will be graduating this year in a ceremony at the Qatar National Convention Centre.

They will be joining the 168 graduates who have already matriculated since the branch campus was established in Education City in 2005.