12 May 2012

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q) celebrated the graduation of its fourth undergraduate class in an official commencement ceremony held at Grand Hyatt Doha Hotel on Saturday, 12th May, 2012.

The 31 students, 20 of whom majored in International Politics and 11 majored in Culture and Politics, collected their degrees in front of an audience of over 500 family and friends, as well as leading international and regional figures.

The graduates represent 16 nationalities from around the globe, creating a multinational culture of diverse networks and partnerships within the university. A sentiment reiterated by John J. DeGioia, the President of Georgetown University SFS-Q: “As these students transition to become members of our global alumni community, we are deeply grateful to each of them. They have helped us to continue defining Georgetown’s leadership in this new kind of global engagement, and – by embodying its ethos – we know they will make profound contributions to our Georgetown community and to our world.”

The Georgetown University SFS-Q commencement is an opportunity to recognize excellence, as two students of the graduating class, Johara Al Thani and Qazi Rashid, were recognized earlier this week for academic excellence and their contribution to the community with the Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) President’s Award. A testament of great achievement, the six recipients from various universities received their awards from His Excellency Dr. Abdulla bin Ali Al Thani, the President of HBKU and Vice-President of Education for Qatar Foundation. SFS-Q Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Brendan Hill, participated in the nomination process for both Rashid and Al Thani for the prestigious HBKU award. On the subject of the two students, he said, “Johara embodies all of the ideals that we at Georgetown University SFS-Q strive to instill in our students: she is inquisitive, intelligent, personable, diligent, hardworking, eager to learn, and willing to share her knowledge with others.” He went on to describe Rashid as a ‘contemplative in action,’ knowing intuitively that, in return for the wonderful educational opportunity Qatar Foundation has provided him, there remains a moral obligation to help those in need.

"I am extremely proud of Qazi Rashid and Al Johara Al Thani for winning the HBKU President's award,” Dean Hill added. “[This] recognizes, not only excellence in academics and leadership, but also commitment to serving all of the communities to which our students belong -- Georgetown, HBKU, Qatar and the world.”

Since the inaugural class of 2008, over 126 students have graduated from Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar. The alumni have since successfully become involved in various aspects of international affairs and academic fields both globally and locally.

James J. O'Donnell, Georgetown University SFS-Q Provost, conferred the degrees and addressed the commencement audience. A distinguished scholar and recognized educational innovator, O’Donnell is President of the American Philological Association and has been a Fellow of the Medieval Academy of America since 2003. He congratulated the graduates stating, "The graduates from SFS-Qatar enrich and strengthen the Georgetown community and the world in many ways. It is my privilege to confer their hard-won degrees on them and congratulate each of them. Georgetown students in Qatar are amazingly impressive young people who will make their families proud and will make Georgetown proud of what they will accomplish in the future."

“The Class of 2012 represents some of the best potential that Georgetown SFS-Qatar offers. Some will go on to secure government or private sector positions while others will go on to further their education at some of the best universities in the world. Whichever field they choose, the Georgetown "liberal arts" education, combining breadth with specialization, has prepared them well to tackle some of the most challenging events of our time,” said Gerd Nonneman, Dean of SFS-Q, adding, “I am very proud of the achievements of these young men and women and I wish them well on their path to a bright future.”