AN AMBASSADOR OF TWO PLACES On her first visit to King’s Academy since graduation, Lena Hmoud ’19 found herself wearing two hats: King’s alumna and ambassador to her new university. BY MUNA AL-ALUL
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semester into her studies at Northwestern University in Qatar (NUQ), Lena Hmoud ’19 is already making the most of every opportunity. She couldn’t stay away from King’s Academy for long though. During the fall break, she was back, not only to catch up with old friends, but to represent NU-Q at the King’s university fair. Hmoud is currently working as an admissions diplomat for the university’s admissions department, a position she was offered her first week at NUQ. Students usually have to apply to university jobs, but for the diplomat position, the department approaches a select few. As a diplomat, Hmoud helps promote the university by providing prospective students and their families with a first-hand student perspective. She has already applied and been accepted for another job as a research assistant. In her second semester, she will do both jobs part-time. Next year, Hmoud will declare her major: journalism with a minor in politics and media, and a certificate in strategic communications. In her first semester of university, Hmoud has been busy with both academic work as well as making friends and getting to know her new home. She joined the Brazilian Club to learn more about Latin culture, and became vice president of the Best Buddies club, which organizes fun activities for children with autism. 86
BEYOND KING’S
“My experience at King’s doing different community and services activities such as Jordan Model Parliament, Reclaim Childhood, and proctor meetings where we learned how to deal with different people and various issues, made the transition to NU-Q easier,” says Hmoud. On the academic front, Hmoud enjoyed creating a simulation of a real news agency as part of a journalism course project that involved engaging with people on the streets of Doha and fishing for stories. She was also excited to be interviewed about her experience as a student in Qatar for an Al Jazeera report about Qatar Foundation and the universities at Education City. “I’m still getting introduced to everything at NU-Q,” says Hmoud, “but so far my experience has been pretty positive. The resources and equipment are state-of-the-art, the kind you find at huge networks like Al Jazeera and the BBC. The opportunities you’re provided with, like internships, international travel and language and research grants, are great.” NU-Q is one of six branch campuses of leading international universities
At King’s, I experienced how exciting it is to be in a place that’s constantly changing and gives you the opportunity to play a part in that change.
and other educational and research institutes housed by Education City, which is an initiative established by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development. The “city” provides access to high quality, Western education in a Middle Eastern setting. As a small community with around 400 students, NU-Q is “very homey, you can talk to your professors one-on-one. It’s very similar to King’s,” according to Hmoud. Hmoud was interested to note many similarities between King’s Academy in Jordan and Qatar. “At King’s, I
experienced how exciting it is to be in a place that’s constantly changing and gives you the opportunity to play a part in that change,” she says. “Qatar is similar to Jordan in that it has the Arab culture, that familiarity, and the balance between conservatism and modernity. Qatar in general is booming, it has witnessed a huge transformation in the last 10 years. I’d like to be a part of that, a country that is striving to be better.” By representing her new university at her old school, Hmoud feels like she found the perfect way to link the two. As enthusiastic as Hmoud is about NU-Q and Qatar, it is hard to believe that choosing where to go for university was one of the most difficult decisions she has ever had to make. Hmoud had received the offer of a full scholarship to study international relations at an American university, as well as a merit scholarship to NU-Q. After much soulsearching, she finally chose NU-Q as she felt drawn to its journalism major. “So far, I’m really happy with the decisions I’ve made. Now I’m both a King’s lion, and a NU-Q wildcat! You could call me an ambassador for both places!” laughs Hmoud.
Lena Hmoud ’19, represents NU-Q at a King's Academy university fair
SPRING 2020
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