Georgetown Qatar Celebrates Class of 2024
Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), a Qatar Foundation partner, honored the academic success of 119 undergraduate students from 38 countries including Qatar and 21 graduate students from Qatar at a commencement ceremony on May 9, 2024.
The ceremony was held at the Qatar National Convention Centre, where family, friends, university faculty and staff, and dignitaries from Qatar and Georgetown University in Washington, DC, came together to celebrate the proud milestone.
Address by Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma
Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth, and People with Disabilities of South Africa, delivered the keynote address with an inspiring message.
She urged graduates, “As you rise, you must lift someone with you.” She emphasized paying success forward, continuing, “The world needs stars. And you are going to be stars, but you must create many more [of] yourselves.” Later in her speech, she shared her vision for the future: “We hope that by the time you are my age, your children and your grandchildren will be living in a better world, one that you would have contributed to create…with other young people across the world.”
In his remarks to the graduating class, Dr. Safwan Masri, the dean of GU-Q, commended their achievements, saying, “I hope you are as proud of yourselves as we are of you. Thank you for enriching our lives, for expanding our minds, and for opening our hearts…we are immensely grateful and honored to see Georgetown’s legacy of providing education that positively impacts the world, in each of you.”
Bachelor’s and Executive Master’s Degree Conferrals
The ceremony featured the traditional conferral of degrees by Georgetown University President Dr. John J. DeGioia. School of Foreign Service (SFS) Dean Joel Hellman presented the candidates from the four-year Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service program, with majors in Culture and Politics, International Economics, International History, and International Politics.
Dean Masri presented the Executive Master’s in Diplomacy and International Affairs candidates, praising their negotiation and problem-solving skills as vital for leadership roles in Qatar and beyond.
Tropaia Ceremony and Student Speech
Preceding the commencement, the Tropaia awards ceremony, a revered Georgetown tradition, recognized the exceptional academic and service achievements of seniors, faculty, and staff.
Addressing her classmates, senior speaker Ayet Bouhajeb reflected on lessons from a student journey that began during a pandemic and ended amid significant regional conflicts, encouraging peers to apply their Georgetown skills and knowledge for humanity’s benefit. “Let us use our voices, our skills, and our knowledge to make a positive impact on the world, to stand in solidarity with those who suffer, and to work towards a future where peace, justice, and equality reign supreme,” she said.
Since its inception in 2005, GU-Q has been a vibrant extension of Georgetown’s global community, celebrating nearly two decades of academic excellence in Qatar and the region. GU-Q offers the renowned SFS curriculum, giving students from across the globe an opportunity for a world-class, holistic education in international affairs.
More About the Graduating Class
How GU-Q Graduates Are Championing Social Justice & Understanding
Graduates Aim High as Global Leaders and Innovators
Graduating Seniors Reflect on Four Years as Hoyas
Tropaia Award Winners
Awards
Dean’s Medal Winners
Pragyan Acharya
Asma Shakeel
Fatima Yunusa
Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali Faculty Award
Asma Shakeel
James Reardon-Anderson Memorial Award
Pragyan Acharya
Amira El-Azhary Sonbol Award for Women’s and Gender Studies
Maliha Khan
Latin Honors
summa cum laude
Pragyan Acharya
Zlata Krasić
Salome Mamuladze
Asma Shakeel
Huda Syed
Mirna Yamut
Fatima Yunusa
magna cum laude
Karina Adamova
Hamza Alsioufy
Omar Chehab
Maliha Khan
cum laude
Ayet Bouhajeb
Ilgar Gapavov
Aisha Shah
Honors in the Majors
Culture and Politics
Noha Alhamid, “Jeddah’s Identity in Light of Saudi Arabia’s Sociocultural Changes.”
Salome Mamuladze, “Writers of the Nation: Patriotic Literature and Contemporary Protest Culture in Georgia.”
Noor Shadid, “Quebec’s Bill 21: Division Between the Nation and the Province.”
International Economics
Umaima Ahmed, “The impact of mass media on family planning knowledge in Pakistan. ”
Nada Algahiny, Distinction, “Exchange Rate Shocks and Female Labor Force Participation Rate: Evidence from the 2016 Devaluation of the Egyptian Pound.”
Hamza Alsioufy, “Trade, Dollar Dominance, and the emergence of new vehicle currencies.”
Hyguette Irakoze, “Beyond the Boardrooms: The Impact of the Gender Quota Policy on the Household Decision-making in Rwanda.”
Zlata Krasić, Distinction, “The Effect of Framing on Saving Behavior in Children.”
Olesia Savka, “Do Immigration and Demand for AI+ Skills Drive Demand for STEM Education in the United States?”
Huda Syed, “Substituting Food for Education: Evidence from BPL Ration Cards in India.”
Honors in the Majors
International History
Omar Chehab, “Sectarianism in Lebanese Politics: A Changing Narrative.”
Marya Khan, Distinction, “Impunity as Norm: Rethinking International Law in the Era of U.S. Drone Warfare in Pakistan.”
Asma Shakeel, Distinction, “Where the Empires Meet: The History of Christian Medicine and Missionaries in Kashmir, c. 1846-1880.”
International Politics
Pragyan Acharya, Distinction, “Schooling Revolution, Seeking Justice: Rural Schoolteachers and the Quest for New Nepal.”
Karina Adamova, “Onward Migration from Germany to Austria: Why Do High-Skilled Migrants Continue Moving?”
Ayet Bouhajeb, “Paving the Way for Authoritarianism: Tunisia’s Democratic Transition Post the Arab Spring.”
Saba Latif, “Shaping Perspectives: A Comparative Study of the Representation of Syrian Refugees in French and German Newspapers Following the Refugee Crisis of 2015.”
Shikoh Zaidi, Distinction, “Muslim Women in Democratic Politics: A Comparative Study of Rural North India.”
Outstanding Students in Majors
Culture and Politics: Fatima Yunusa
International Economics: Zlata Krasić
International History: Asma Shakeel
International Politics: Pragyan Acharya
Certificates and Minors
American Studies Certificate
Marya Khan*
Arab and Regional Studies Certificate
Sara Al-Hajri*
Valeriia Chertilina*
Media and Politics Certificate
Aisha Al-Dosari*
Amna Alkhulaifi
Haya Al-Mohannadi
Anam Fatima*
Haboon Jibril
Olesia Savka
Noor Shadid
Mirna Yamut
Indian Ocean Studies Minor
Fatima Yunusa
Shikoh Zaidi
*Outstanding thesis or eportfolio
Honor Societies
Phi Beta Kappa, Academic Honor Society
Pragyan Acharya
Karina Adamova
Zlata Krasic
Huda Syed
Mirna Yamut
Fatima Yunusa
Alpha Sigma Nu, Jesuit Honor Society
Pragyan Acharya
Karina Adamova
Hamza Alsioufy
Salome Mamuladze
Huda Syed
Mirna Yamut
Fatima Yunusa
Pi Sigma Alpha, Political Science Honor Society
Pragyan Acharya
Karina Adamova
Moza Al-Kaabi
Amna Alkhulaifi
Noof Al-Mal
Reem Almuraikhi
Aisha Al Musleh
Suhaim Al-Thani
Dayana Amandossova
Christina Atat
Ayet Bouhajeb
Ilgar Gapagov
Meryam Hashmi
Balquees Hijazi
Nala Mouqbil
Hala Orabi
Honor Societies
Phi Alpha Theta, History Honor Society
Hasnaa Abdalla
Raghad Al-Ashaar
Aisha Al-Dosari
Salem Al-Eida
Sara Al-Hajri
Noha Alhamid
Reem Al-Hashmi
Sheikha Al-Jabir
Moza Al-Kaabi
Sara Al-Kaabi
Fatima Al-Khanji
Amna Alkhulaifi
Reem Al Kubaisi
Mariam Al-Kuwari
Haya Al-Mohannadi
Aisha Al Musleh
Abdulrahman Al-Obaidan
Kaltham Al-Subaey
Alanoud Al-Thani
AlDana Al-Thani
Lamia Al Thani
Maryam Al-Thani
Sharifa Al-Thani
Suhaim Al-Thani
Christina Atat
Omar Chehab
Ilgar Gapagov
Balquees Hijazi
Abdullah Hussein
Haboon Jibril
Zaina Khalil
Marya Khan
Juan Carlo Landayan
Nala Mouqbil
Noor Shadid
Aisha Shah
Asma Shakeel
Fatima Yunusa
Honor Societies
Omicron Delta Epsilon, Economics Honor Society
Iyana Abdel Aziz
Abdulrahman Abdulrahman
Umaima Ahmed
Roudha Albloushi
Haya Al-Dosari
Nada Algahiny
Noha Alhamid
Reem Al-Hashmi
Yara Al-Jaidah
Lulwa Al-Kaabi
Noor Al-Kawari
Fatima Al-Kuwari
Haya Al-Mohannadi
Hamza Alsioufy
Maryam Al Thani
Jemimah Atahigwa
Rami Chawki
Shannon Chen
Valeriia Chertilina
Yas El Argoubi
Elie El Hajj
Haiqa Fatima
Hyguette Irakoze
Sirojiddin Kakhramonov
Alice Kangabe
Zaina Khalil
Zlata Krasić
Nurmukhammad Mukhammadiev
Renée Mutare
Rejoice Onyenagubo
Niharika Pant
Sagar Rathi
Devashish Regmi
Olesia Savka
Ivan Shandybin)
Enisha Sharma
Neha Shrestha
Huda Syed