Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar Students Earn Summer Internship at Blue Rubicon in London

Two Georgetown University School of Foreign Service Qatar (GU-Q) students have been chosen from over 50 applicants to benefit from the sought-after summer internship scheme at leading international strategic communications and public relations consultancy, Blue Rubicon. 

Under the internship scheme, which is wholly funded by Blue Rubicon LLC, Georgetown junior International Politics students Nadia Al Khater and Abdurrehman Naveed were chosen from a long list of applicants to be this year’s beneficiaries of the internship in London and subsequently in Doha.

This partnership, now in its second year, is designed to help students understand and explore the field of strategic communications, as well as experience the professional working environment in one of the most developed and sophisticated media markets. During their time in London, the students will have the opportunity to learn from Blue Rubicon’s acknowledged experts in the fields of strategic communications, public relations, media training, crisis management, and cutting edge digital communications.

Dr. Gerd Nonneman, dean of Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) said, “We are pleased to have our students participate in this brilliant internship opportunity again this year. The program worked really well last year and we anticipate great results again this time. Blue Rubicon advises some of the world’s biggest brands and organizations, as well as many prominent institutions in Qatar, so this is a great opportunity for our students to gain transferable skills that will serve them well in any career path they choose.”

The Blue Rubicon internship program emphasizes both practical and educational aspects of working in public relations based on first-hand experience. Interns will go through an in-house training scheme at Blue Rubicon’s London offices, followed by another period in the consultancy’s Doha office.

Neil Daugherty, Managing Director at Blue Rubicon in Qatar, said

“We are happy to continue our fruitful partnership with Georgetown University-Qatar, as its ethos encapsulates our belief in combining an international viewpoint with a deep understanding of Qatar’s history and culture. We were pleased to receive so many applicants for the opportunity building upon last year’s success and our growing reputation in Qatar. We look forward to welcoming Nadia and Abdurrehman to London in August. As young people with inquiring minds, we believe they will fit in well at Blue Rubicon, following in the footsteps both of last year’s interns and also GU-Q graduate now working with Blue Rubicon.” 

Salman Khan, a junior at Georgetown University in Qatar and a benefactor of last year’s Blue Rubicon internship scheme, said “I had a terrific experience working at Blue Rubicon’s London office and it was one of the most enlightening experiences in my career so far. The lessons and experiences from the scheduled workshops, organised by a variety of company executives and young graduates, were brilliant as I have often utilized those lessons for multiple scholarly and extracurricular activities. Working in the Doha office after working in London brought the experience full circle by providing me with an insider’s view of how a communications consultancy operates in Qatar.”

This year’s internship is part of Blue Rubicon’s on-going desire to build meaningful and lasting partnerships with local institutions in Qatar. Blue Rubicon opened its first international office in Qatar in September of 2013, and has since opened offices in Dubai and Singapore as well as its main offices in London.