Annual Report 2021-2022 Global Citizenship

A special classroom at the GU-Q campus with students attending a lecture with a professor from the Washington D.C. campus

Annual Report 2021-2022

Global Citizenship

A transformational education at Georgetown expands student capacity to create positive and purposeful social change and inspires their ambition to not only thrive in an uncertain future, but to play a role in shaping it.

Learning from leaders

Fostering Global Leadership

Through dialogue with scholars, experts, and public figures, students embodied Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, a call for leadership that serves a greater purpose and guides how we conduct ourselves and how we care for others.

“Georgetown affirms and celebrates virtues such as People for Others, Community in Diversity, and Care for the Whole Person, ideals central to [GU-Q’s] mission, identity, and culture.”
Akintunde Akinade, Professor, Chair, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force

Learning from Leaders

Video of Highlights of Townhall with IMF Chief — *Highlights of Town Hall with IMF Chief*

Student Town Hall with IMF Chief

At a GU-Q town hall, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Kristalina Georgieva engaged Education City students in a conversation about their critical role in the global economy. The IMF chief expressed admiration for the extensive support and resources at QF, and urged students to use those privileges to create a better future for a world threatened by rising inequality made worse by the pandemic.

“You’re very fortunate because you have this incredible Education City to build yourselves, your networks, and your aspirations. This is not the fate of many of the young people in this region.”
Kristalina Georgieva, IMF Managing Director, GU-Q Town Hall

Malala in Class

Nobel Laureate Malala Yousafzai visited a GU-Q course on U.S. politics to speak to students about the critical challenges facing girls’ education around the world. Malala stressed the need to recognize the scale of the problem as a global human rights issue with multiple causes, including climate change, lack of infrastructure funding, and conflict.

“I am deeply concerned with topics related to human rights and social justice…together we can provide solutions that can be adapted into our own contexts.”
Kamilah Idris (SFS’22), President, African Students Association, Malala Classroom Visit

Swedish Minister on Development and Environment

Sweden’s Minister for International Development Cooperation H.E. Per Olsson Fridh discussed the agenda of the COP 26 U.N. Climate Change Conference, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, and the lessons of the pandemic at a student talk moderated by Professor Gerd Nonneman.

Classroom Diplomacy

Foreign dignitaries and diplomats engaged with the top school for international affairs in the region through classroom visits, building tours, and discussions on possible institutional collaborations. Visitors included delegations from:

Embassy of Singapore • Ministry of Foreign Affairs • Qatar Armed Forces • Qatar Investment Authority • Royal College of Defense Studies with the British Embassy • Wilson Center

Global Youth Leadership

Maryam Abdulaziz Al-Thani moderating the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Global Youth Town Hall with Director and Deputy to the Under-Secretary-General at UNOCT Raffi Gregorian

U.N. Youth Town Hall Moderator

Maryam Abdulaziz Al-Thani (SFS’23) moderated a session of the U.N. Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT) Global Youth Town Hall with Raffi Gregorian, the director and deputy to the under-secretary-general at UNOCT. The event was attended by students at GU-Q and Northwestern Qatar and livestreamed for a virtual audience.

Watch Kushboo advocate for youth engagement — *Watch Khushboo’s advocacy for youth engagement*

Giving Youth a Voice at G20

Khushboo Shah (SFS’22) represented an NGO she helped co-found to deliver youth policy recommendations at a virtual Y20 event, with her ideas included in a communiqué for the G20 Leaders Summit in 2021. Khushboo was also selected to share her advocacy work at the 2022 I AM QF event.

“I was lucky enough to meet some extraordinary people during the few days we were able to share together. I will be forever indebted to them, their stories, and the tremendous social work they do in their respective communities.”
Maryam Abdulaziz Al-Thani (SFS’23), Moderator, U.N. Global Youth Town Hall

Students participating in a Panel discussion at GU-Q

Research skills

Developing Passionate Researchers

Undergraduate research training and experience is integral to a Georgetown education, promoting deep learning, building critical skills and competencies, and inspiring students to gain new perspectives and new ambitions.

“I decided to study the determinants of demand for private tutoring in Qatar to add to the body of knowledge on a global phenomenon that is understudied in Qatar.”
Bothaina Jassim Hamad Al-Thani (SFS’22), International Economics, Honors in the Major

Research Skills and Competencies

Hands-on Training

CIRS Undergraduate Research Advancement (CURA) panel discussions, lunch talks, and Beyond the Headlines panels encouraged student scholarship and exchange.

“It’s Getting Hot in Here: Changing Climate Change,” student research presentation panel discussion

“Methodology and Bias: Reflections from Food Security Research in Ethiopia,” taught by Logan Cochrane, HBKU

“Reflections on the Qatar – USA 2021 Year of Culture,” Lunch Talk with Georgetown University alumna and Executive Director of the Qatar-America Institute for Culture, Fatima Al-Dosari

“Hijab Ban and Protests in India” moderated by Firat Oruc with panelists Abdullah Al-Arian, Uday Chandra, and Asma Shakeel (SFS’24)

“The Russia Invasion of Ukraine,” moderated by Firat Oruc with panelists Edward Kolla, Gerd Nonneman, and Valeriia Chertilina (SFS’24)

“The workshop…about knowledge co-production really caught my attention. Working together with local stakeholders to capture and produce novel and nuanced data is an interesting methodology.”
Pragyan Acharya (SFS’24), CURA Workshop Participant

Research Projects, Grants, and Recognition

Untitled Lamp Bear By Swiss Artist Urs Fischer featured in center of Hamad International Airport — *image credit: dohahamadairport.com*

Research Grants

Zoya Farid (SFS’22), Syed Taha Kaleem (SFS’22), Tanner Manley (SFS’22), and Muhammad Saad Ullah (SFS’22) received faculty mentorship and a QNRF grant (UREP28-303-5-035) for “Qatar Connects the World: An Ethnography of Hamad International Airport.”

Karina Adamova (SFS’24), Syed Taha Kaleem (SFS’22), Kushboo Shah (SFS’22), and Amal Berrada (SFS’22) were awarded competitive GU-Q grants to fund conference attendance, research software licenses, local transportation, and interview transcription services in support of their research.

Research Awards

The Third Annual Undergraduate Research Experience (UREP) competition awarded top prizes to two GU-Q projects.

Best Poster Presentation: “Humanizing Resources: Analyzing Employment Opportunities for the Disabled in Qatar” by Khansa Maria (SFS ’20) and Abdul Rehmaan Qayyum (SFS’21)
Best Oral Presentation: “Investigating the Resilience of Qatar’s Trade Network” by Alisha Kamran (SFS’18) and Halak Sheth (SFS’18)

Curricular Research Honors and Awards

Theses and E-Portfolios

Students conducted significant research towards Honors in the Majors and Certificates under the mentorship of faculty with related research expertise.

Culture and Politics

“Contested National Memories: Competing Narratives of ‘Comfort Women’ in Contemporary South Korea.” Aisha E. Al Kuwari, mentored by Uday Chandra
“Legalized Patriarchy: An Examination of Qatari Women’s Lived Realities in the Private/Public Spheres.” Jawaher O. Al-Shamari, mentored by Haya Al-Noaimi
“Activist Animacies: Species Conception in Late 20th Century United States Activism.” Tanner J. Manley, mentored by Victoria Googasian

International Politics

“Leadership Transitions and Foreign Policy Shifts: The Cases of Qatar and the UAE.” Hissa Al-Kubaisi, mentored by Amanda Garrett
“Gendering Illegal Immigration: Fatou Confronts the Kingdom.” Amal Berrada (SFS’22), mentored by Amanda Garrett
“The Evolution of Industry Promotional Rhetoric on Nuclear Energy in the United States from the 1950s-1980s.” Linda Binti Ridzuan Chun, mentored by Trish Kahle
“The State, Business, and Social Relations: A Case Study of Non-citizen Entrepreneurs in Qatar.” Khushboo Shah, mentored by Sonia Alonso

American Studies

“Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis: A Westernized Elite’s Reinforcement of American Orientalist Ideas.” Shifa Nouman, mentored by Karine Walther
“A Victim of its Time: Revisiting the Failure of Commercial Nuclear Reprocessing in the United States.” Linda binti Ridzuan Chun, mentored by Kai-Henrik Barth – CAST MEDAL

Arab and Regional Studies

“How did the AIOC v. UK Case at the International Court of Justice Shape Oil Politics Post World War II? Janan Iranbomy, mentored by Mehran Kamrava – CARS MEDAL

Media and Politics

“Usurping our Space: The Perpetuation of Distorted Narratives of Muslim Women in Contemporary Western Digital Entertainment.” Sara Abdul-Razzak, mentored by Joe F. Khalil, NU-Q
“How Media and Culture Affect Pandemic Responses: Masks and Ehteraz in Qatar.” Aisha Al-Kuwari, mentored by Uday Chandra
“Social Media Participation in Social Protests in Sudan.” Maytha Al Malki, mentored by Firat Oruc
“Media Censorship of the Palestinian Content During Sheikh Jarrah Clashes on Instagram.” Talila Al-Mohannadi, mentored by Yehia Mohamed
“Social Media and the Blockade of Qatar.” Dana Darwish, mentored by Amanda Garrett
“Expression in Repression: Independent Filmmaking in Post Revolution Egypt.” Hana Elshehaby, mentored by Scott Curtis (Northwestern Qatar) CMAP MEDAL
“The Relationship Between Politics and Sports: Having a Closer Look at the Middle East.” Alaa Hussain, mentored by Danyel Reiche
“Qatar’s Soft Power Strategy: Contemporary Art.” Zainab Qazi, mentored by Firat Oruc

Security Studies (independent)

“Power Transition and China’s Energy Security-A New Paradigm of Shrinking Power Differential in the International System.” Ayesha Iqbal, mentored by Rory Miller

Multiversity Award Winners

At the senior awards for the Media and Politics Certificate program offered jointly with Northwestern Qatar and attended by faculty and students from both universities, three GU-Q students took top prizes for Best E-Portfolio, Best Thesis, and Best Translation of Research.

Best E-Portfolio: Hana Elshehaby (SFS’22): “Expression in Repression: Independent Filmmaking in Post Revolution Egypt”
Best Thesis: Aisha Al-Kuwari (SFS’22): “How Media and Culture Affect Pandemic Responses: Masks and Ehteraz in Qatar”
Best Translation of Research: Talila Almohannadi (SFS’22): co-winner for “Media Censorship of the Palestinian Conflict during Sheikh Jarrah Clashes on Instagram”

“If I were studying in the U.S., these universities would have been in different states, and achieving this certificate, impossible.”
Aisha Al-Kuwari (SFS’22), Culture and Politics, CMAP Best Thesis Award

Person holding a lightbulb with graphics overlayed that indicate the generation of ideas

Entrepreneurship

Driving Innovative Entrepreneurship

Students connected classroom learning to real-world challenges by turning innovative ideas into award-winning projects designed to generate market demand while also creating positive social change.

“Life-threatening findings are missed due to inadequate training. We’ve created a platform that uses…eye tracking technology to boost ECG interpretation competencies and improve healthcare outcomes.”
Shokhrukhbek Nurmatov (SFS’23), EyeTech, QBIC Hackathon Winner

Agents of Change

Video of Kartikeya Uniyal speaking about Access Labs — *Kartikeya Uniyal speaks about Access Labs*

EdTech: Education for Everyone

Kartikeya Uniyal (SFS’23) received a $2,000 USD Penner Family Experiences Award and Social Innovation and Public Service funding for his edtech project, Access Labs. The innovative chatbot-based open learning platform was developed in collaboration with the Peace Innovation Institute and the Peace Innovation Lab at Stanford.

Uzbekistan: Promoting Women in STEM

Noor Diev (SFS’24) won Georgetown University Social Innovation and Public Service funding for a project that aims to democratize women’s education in Uzbekistan. His project will provide training in STEM skills through Ingenium, a brick and mortar school Noor co-founded in 2018.

Business Development and Incubation Funding

E-learning in Local Schools

The Muallemi e-learning platform developed by Abdulrahman Al-Thani (SFS’22) and Abdullah Nazeer (SFS’ 23) with incubation support through the QF Qatar Science and Technology Park offers additional mathematics instruction for grades 2-12. A pilot program with a local school in Spring 2022 provided 54 students with 612 hours of education with plans for further expansion.

EC Entrepreneurs

The Innovation Center at HBKU’s Innovation Entrepreneurship Program awarded training and kickstarter funding for winning GU-Q student business projects. Noor Diev (SFS’24) and Begali Aslanov’s (SFS’25) Diwan is a customer-centric virtual marketplace, and Shaheer Liaqat’s (SFS’24) Imtehan (previously Kronos) offers non-native speakers virtual training for standardized English language exams.

QBIC Hackathon Wins

Student teams won 25,000 QAR in incubation funding through the Qatar Business Incubation Center (QBIC) Hackathon. Shokhrukhbek Nurmatov (SFS’23) with team members from HBKU and CMU-Q developed EyeTech, a medical imaging training platform for medical practitioners. Rahema Valemi’s (SFS’23) Sportl app is a gamified platform that engages fans and supports local businesses.

“The fan engagement platform will reward sport fans for their loyalty and provide rising businesses in Qatar a platform to market themselves and capture customers directly.”
Rahema Velmi (SFS’23), Founder, Sportl, QBIC Hackathon Winner

Iconic pillars in front of the GU-Q building, taken at night

GU-Q Values

Sustaining Georgetown Values

Programs, resources, and student activities integrated action and contemplation to address inequities, improve inclusion, and strengthen compassionate engagement on campus and in vulnerable communities worldwide.

“…the greater the extent to which…universities foster culturally engaged campus environments, the more likely their environments will allow their diverse student populations to thrive.”
2021 GU-Q Campus Cultural Climate Survey, Key Findings

Campus Initiatives

Community in Diversity

Student Cultural Climate Survey

A first-of-its kind GU-Q Campus Cultural Climate Survey was sent to students as part of an effort to better understand their sense of belonging and experiences involving the campus environment. To identify strengths and areas for improvement, a report on the 166 out of 393 (42%) responses was prepared by the Office of Assessment and Decision Support in collaboration with the offices of the GU-Q dean, Institutional Diversity, Equity & Affirmative Action, and Title IX Compliance in DC and Doha. Stakeholder groups continue to discuss survey findings, which will be reflected in upcoming HR bias training for faculty, staff, and students.

Racial Equity and Inclusion Task Force

The Faculty and Staff Task Force on Diversity, Equity, Racial Justice, and Inclusion recommended best practices to encourage diversity and reduce bias that were implemented in faculty search committees. This year, the scope of the task force on short- and long-term initiatives was broadened to engage all university constituencies.

Care for Our Common Home

Food Waste Reduction

Food waste was measured and posted publicly in the cafeteria as an educational program geared toward promoting post-consumer food waste reduction. Daily food sales also encouraged waste reduction, and food waste was tracked to assess effectiveness of reduction initiatives.

Circular Economy

In addition to recycling bins for paper, metal, plastic, and electronic waste around campus, circular economy initiatives encouraged free cycling of clothing, books, and household items. The community-wide initiatives encouraged awareness of extending the lifecycle of usable items, and ensured their responsible disposal.

Environmental Sustainability Task Force

The sustainability-focused task force is charged with consolidating efforts in creating knowledge, tools, and experiences that foster environmentally-conscious action and create a culture of sustainability on our campus.

The Spirit of Georgetown

In 2022, the Georgetown community celebrated the Spirit of Georgetown, a 500-year-old educational tradition inspired by St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Jesuits. Our holistic approach to education, dedication to knowledge creation, and commitment to intellectual and spiritual development underpins everything we do as an institution.

In their dedication to justice, peace, and compassion, GU-Q students embody the best of this tradition.

People for Others

Kartikeya Uniyal (SFS’23) cites his Brahmin identity and inherited privileges as the inspiration for social justice advocacy in his community. At GU-Q, he continued his mission to improve access to quality education to the underserved through his edtech platform Access Labs and an Education & Social Justice Research 2022 Summer Fellowship by the Berkley Center and the Center for Social Justice.

Interreligious Understanding

Syed Taha Kaleem (SFS’22) was selected as the Berkley Center-Pulitzer Center International Reporting Fellow for Summer 2021. His on-the-ground reporting project explored the important role of religious shrines in Kashmiri society and examined the ways they foster peacebuilding.

“Visiting these shrines at an early age and observing how they brought together people of all faiths…sparked an interest in the socio-political aspects of these sacred spaces.”
Syed Taha Kaleem (SFS’22), Pulitzer Center International Reporting Fellow

Alumni of GU-Q attending an event standing in front of a letters that spell #GU-Q

Alumni Impact

Mobilizing Alumni Impact

Our growing community of over 700 highly skilled, globally minded graduates continue to embody their Georgetown identity and values, achieving far-reaching impact on social, political, and economic issues, and gaining international recognition for their contributions.

“This is the start of deeper impact, where we can have our voices and work affect policy at the national level, to the eventual betterment of our education system.”
Haroon Yasin (SFS’15), Taleemabad, 2021 Wise Award Winner

People for Others

WISE Awardee and Pakistan Government Advisor

Haroon Yasin (SFS’15), co-founder and CEO of the Orenda Project, was appointed to Pakistan’s Prime Minister’s Youth Cabinet, a parliament and cabinet notification body that advises the Prime Minister and lawmakers on issues that affect young people. Orenda’s learning application Taleemabad was a 2021 WISE Award winner, and included a prize of $20,000 USD.

Video of Salma Mousa sharing Research on Football at CIRS Event — *Salma Mousa Shares Research on Football at CIRS Event*

Insight on the FIFA World Cup 2022

Assistant Professor at Yale Salma Mousa (SFS’12) returned to her alma mater to share her empirical evidence on “Reducing Islamophobic Attitudes? The Effect of Mohamed Salah and the World Cup 2022.” At the CIRS Building a Legacy lecture series, Salma shared her research offering empirical evidence that exposure to celebrities from stigmatized groups can reduce public prejudice across wider society.

Knowledge Sharing at QF

Nikhil Lakhanpal (SFS’14, MSFS’15) [pictured]. Talk on Qatar Ports, Overseas Security Advisory Council in Qatar–World Cup Planning Brief; GU-Q Crisis Simulation Contributor.
Sami Wehbe (SFS’17). Alumni Event Organizer: Talk with H.E. Herro Mustafa (SFS’95), U.S Ambassador to Bulgaria.
Obada Diab (SFS’19). QF Alumni Talk: “Humanitarian Data: What Is It and Why Do We Need It?”
Asim Koldžo (SFS’12). QF Alumni Talk: “Water Scarcity and Climate Change.”

“Without those statistics classes I took at GU-Q and that I later built on at Stanford, I would not be where I am today.”
Salma Mousa (SFS’12), Assistant Professor, Yale University, Reducing Islamophobic Attitudes

Art Omi Residency

Layanne Malluhi (SFS’16) was selected as a 2020 Art Omi Arab writer to participate in the Fall 2021 Art Omi Residency in Ghent, NY, where she worked on a fantasy novel as well as a series of fiction and non-fiction texts that try to mediate between the disparate parts of her cultural identity.

Independent Iraqi Film Festival

Israa Al-Kamali (SFS’17) is co-founder of the Independent Iraqi Film Festival, which held its second festival featuring film shorts, feature films, and documentaries, both from Iraq and the diaspora, as well as industry talks. Israa is completing her MFA in Filmmaking at New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, and moderated an industry talk with Mohammed Khalid.

Alumni Publications

Alumni are establishing themselves as experts in their fields through a variety of publications, co-authored with faculty and multiversity peers.

Dr. Alexis Antoniades, Rafia Al-Jassim (SFS’19), and Khalique Gharatkar. “The Blockade Against Qatar: A Blessing in Disguise?” in Journal of Arabian Studies.
Bouthaina El-Kheshn (SFS’21) and Sahar Bou Hamdan (Northwestern Qatar). “Revolutionary Music in Lebanon and Egypt: Alternative Imaginaries for Self-Representation and Participation,” in Central European Journal of Communication.

Postdoctoral Gulf Studies

Haya Al-Noaimi (SFS’09) published postdoctoral fellowship research conducted at GU-Q on the interrelationships between Bedouin culture and British colonial and postcolonial nationalism in the prestigious Security Dialogue journal.

“Militarism and the Bedouin: Intersections of Colonialism, Gender, and Race in the Arab Gulf.”

Predictive Analysis for COVID-19

Francis Kiwon (SFS’16) earned an MS in Statistics from McMaster University in Canada and is now a Ph.D. in Statistics candidate at the University of Waterloo. A co-authored article on the application of his predictive analysis to COVID-19 was published in the peer-reviewed Canadian Public Policy journal in 2021.

“Estimating the Effects of Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs) and Population Mobility on Daily COVID-19 Cases: Evidence from Ontario.”

Education Expertise

Leena Zahir (SFS’14) received her M.Ed from Harvard University in 2019 and worked as a senior education specialist at Education Above All Foundation’s Innovation Development Directorate. She shared her experiences through a co-authored article and a white paper for the OECD’s Education Continuity Stories Series on education during COVID-19.

“India, Pakistan, Zambia, Kenya and Lebanon: Education Above All’s Internet Free Education Resource Bank.”
“Applying Global Models of Teacher Development to Improve Student Outcomes: Insights from a Teacher Development & Leadership Program in Qatar.”

“The Internet Free Education Resource Bank (IFERB) empowers learners to…gain several skills that might not be the focus in traditional classroom settings.”
Leena Zahir (SFS’14), EAA, Co-author, Education Continuity during the Coronavirus Crisis

Post-graduation Outcomes

Matriculation to Graduate Degrees

More than 19% of graduates go on to pursue master’s and doctoral degrees in their first year after graduation. As of 2022, alumni are enrolled at the following institutions:

Doha Institute for Graduate Studies • Georgetown University • Imperial College • Leiden University • Qatar University • Boston University • SOAS-University of London • Tufts University • University of Melbourne • University of Michigan • University of Oxford