Campus Life

Whether online or on campus, students advocated for their chosen causes, engaged in sports and cultural activities, and performed acts of service throughout the year.

Student clubs offered important avenues for constructive community engagement during this challenging period. Out of 40 clubs, six were new this year, including the Animal Welfare Society, Arabic Debate Club, Society of the Creative Arts, Southeast and East Asian Club, Technology and Video Games Club, and The Free Society. Student activities encompassed several themes, including pandemic resilience, cultural awareness, and social justice.

Pandemic Resilience

Annual Report 2020-2021“THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON EDUCATION IN AFRICA”

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Kamilah Idris (SFS’22), Heba Mohamednor (SFS’21) and other members of the African Student Association Georgetown University in Qatarorganized a panel discussion on education in African nations impacted by the pandemic featuring ambassadors of several African countries. READ ABOUT THE WEBINAR

“THE RISE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AMIDST COVID-19”

Co-organized by members of the Georgetown Women’s Alliance in Qatar, GU-Q’s Women’s Center, and the Future Is Female student initiative, this event featured psychologists Shefa Obaid of Noor Counseling, Evridiki Iliaki of HWWGLOBAL, and GUQ’s Director of the Student Wellness and Counseling Center, Mahnaz Mousavi.

Campus Life

Cultural Awareness

QATAR NATIONAL DAY

Organized by the Al Liwan Student Club, this year’s virtual event featured the founder of Evergreen Organics Ghanim Al-Sulaiti, Qatar Airways pilot Sheikha Al Moudadi, public figure Abdulrahman Al-Lanjawi, and up-and-coming artists Ibrahim Al-Baker and Saad Al-Mslmani.

We wanted to learn the stories of the individual members of the Qatari community who have contributed positively to the development of Doha.

—Dana Darwish (SFS’21), President, Al Liwan Student Club

LATIN AMERICAN AND CARRIBEAN SOCIETY EVENTS WITH DIPLOMATS

The Latin American and Carribean Society hosted two events, one with Mexico’s Ambassador to Qatar H.E. Graciela Gomez Garcia and another featuring H.E. Oreste Del Rio Sandoval, former Ambassador of Panama to Qatar.

MUSLIM STUDENT ASSOCIATION

The Muslim Student Association hosted a number of events which engaged students in interfaith dialogue and discussions on topics around diversity, pedagogy, social justice, social issues, and the month of Ramadan.

Social Justice

THE CRISIS IN PALESTINE

Students for Justice in Palestine organized several events including a Book Talk with Rashid Khalidi on his book The Hundred Years’ War on Palestine: A History of Settler Colonial Conquest and Resistance (Metropolitan Books 2020).

“ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: BLACK LIVES MATTER AND THE BLACK EXPERIENCE”

Organized by the Black Student Association, this panel discussion featured Kamilah Idris (SFS’22), Iman Ismail (SFS’22), and Heba Mohamednor (SFS’21).

Creating A Healthy Environment

GU-Q fosters diversity on campus through resource sharing, events, support for student clubs, and courses about the history and current state of systemic oppression and economic disenfranchisement of African Americans and other communities of color.

SUPPORT AND WELLNESS ACTIVITIES

Student support through the Student Wellness and Counseling Center continued virtually and in person and included an 8-week workshop on Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy, health and exercise classes, and skills training workshops on resilience, emotional health, sleep, meditation, and grief management.

Annual Report 2020-2021 •

Georgetown University in Qatar I’ve been feeling a lot of pressure, and there is never enough time to settle down and breathe. But after this walk I feel more calm, focused, and ready to be more productive.

—Rejoice Onyenagubo (SFS’24), Georgetown Leadership Track Mindfulness Walk

Other activities organized through the Office of Student Affairs contributed to a safe campus and virtual environment through implicit bias training, a microaggression awareness campaign and workshop, and campaigns on gratitude and pandemic safety.

Active student-focused organizations, such as the Equity and Title IX Working Group, a Racial Equity Task Force, and a dedicated Women’s Center are some of the ways in which inclusive practices are being studied and integrated into GU-Q’s policies and practices.

Learning from Alumni

Students were connected to ten members of the alumni community through this year’s Student-Alumni Mentorship Week. And with the support of the Women’s Center, Georgetown Women’s Alliance Qatar, and the Georgetown Leadership Track, alumni engaged with students on a number of topics, including:

CAREERS IN FOREIGN SERVICE Talk by the Director of the Office of the State of Qatar to the World Trade Organization in Geneva Saleh Abdulla AlMana (SFS’14), and Second Secretary of the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva Talal Al-Naama (SFS’15).

CAREERS IN LAW Discussion by International Arbitration Associate at DWF Group Aya El Wadia (SFS‘14).

CAREER JOURNEY Mentor Tea Talk by Senior Academic Quality Assurance Officer at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies Hala Sheikh Al Souk (SFS’10). Saleh Abdulla AlMana (SFS’14), Talal Al-Naama (SFS’15), and Fariha Iqbal (SFS’23)