Senior Class Hoodie Design Unites the Graduating Class of 2020

For graduating seniors around the world, the pandemic upturned well-laid plans for end of year celebrations, graduations, and career expectations. At GU-Q, a QF partner institution, the Class of 2020 overcame unprecedented challenges to successfully conclude their four year undergraduate journey, with the support of a campus community that came together and worked tirelessly to provide comfort, support, and many needed resources.

The significance and impact of that generosity of spirit and Hoya kinship was captured perfectly by International Politics senior El Harith Ali, in his winning design for the traditional personalized class hoodie gifted to each graduate.

His design was a sweeping circular arc of silver Arabic calligraphy on a canvas of black cotton, a translation of Georgetown’s foundational values, with each student’s name and graduating year boldly displayed in the negative space within the circle. And offset on the front of the black hoodie: the delicate motif of the university’s traditional seal in the same silver tone.

The values of Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam, Contemplation in Action, Community in Diversity, Interreligious Understanding, Faith and Justice, Women and Men for Others, and Cura Personalis, serve as a reminder of what matters most at a time when anxiety, confusion, and fear have threatened to define one of the most significant achievements of graduates’ lives.  And rendered in the language and in the artistic tradition of the region, the design recognizes Qatar’s impressive investments in human development and higher education, and celebrates the diversity and global worldview of an exceptional cohort of Hoyas.

Overseeing the Senior Committee responsible for many end of year activities including the hoodie design project is Afsha Kohli, the associate director for student development. She said: “Although this year has been very challenging and ceremonies were canceled, graduates are still celebrating virtually or with their family members. Georgetown Senior hoodies are special as they are personalized and serve as a physical reminder in this virtual world; a reminder of the four years of Georgetown memories, the connections they built, the bonds they share, and the GU values which will continue to serve as guiding principles as they continue their journey beyond GU-Q.”

Born and raised in Qatar, El Harith has been an avid artist since his calligraphic training began in the sixth grade at Hamza Bin Abdul Muttalib Independent Preparatory School, and is well versed in the ancient art of Arabic script as a medium for authority, beauty, and practicality. “Calligraphic traditions transcend languages and cultures. There’s something about the artistic rendering of language that fascinates people. And in particular, the aesthetics of Arabic calligraphy, which are rooted in measures and ratios, appeals to a universal appreciation of proportion and symmetry.”

El Harith also credits his appreciation for the Arabic language to his parents, who were classically trained in Arabic in Sudan. “I grew up in a home where my parents would regularly quote famous Arab poets just to see if we could identify the author.”

Once he began university, El Harith’s interest in fine arts was reawakened. “GU-Q really values the role and significance of the arts, and the artwork of students, alumni, faculty and staff are routinely given space to be displayed.”

When he joined the Senior Committee in September of 2019, El Harith had no idea that his hoodie design would represent a graduating class that would make Georgetown history, completing their school year  virtually for the last half of their semester. With the understanding that wearing school colors and school mascots continues to have special meaning long after students finish their studies, he said he “wanted to design an article of clothing that Hoyas would want to wear proudly,”

Walking the halls of the Humanitarium building and seeing Georgetown’s foundational values frosted on floor to ceiling glass windows, El Harith decided on the perfect symbol and the perfect medium to unite the diverse student body. “Arabic calligraphy presents a compelling combination of complexity and austerity, reflecting the sensibilities of Islam and broader Middle East traditions. I wanted to capture some of that in this design.”

The original design was drawn freehand, using the traditional tool for writing in Arabic and Islamic calligraphy, the Celi pen, identifiable by its sharpened nib of hardwood, cut and drilled for ink reservoirs, and set into a hand-turned handle. The design was then scanned and uploaded using far more modern tools. .

El Harith’s design has now been gifted to the university. “This was an inspiring experiment and it will motivate me to pursue my art more seriously in the future.” His own plans include pursuing a career in the business sector or with an intergovernmental organization in Qatar. Despite the many unknowns he has to contend with, El Harith is sure of one thing. Art will always be a part of his life.