Seven Exceptional Alumni Honored at GU-Q’s 20th Anniversary with Inaugural Alumni Impact Awards
In celebration of its 20th anniversary, Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) recognized seven distinguished graduates with Alumni Impact Awards. The awards honor graduates whose work exemplifies the values of intellectual rigor, ethical leadership, and service to others—hallmarks of a Georgetown education.
“Twenty years on—and nearly eleven hundred graduates later—GU-Q alumni are pushing boundaries in every field they enter,” said Dean Safwan Masri at the award ceremony that accompanied the renewal of Georgetown’s contract with Qatar Foundation.
“They now sit within some of the world’s most influential institutions—in academia, government and intergovernmental organizations, NGOs, major corporations, and global media. Many have launched ventures of their own, building something where there was nothing before.”
The Academic Impact Award, which recognizes scholarly excellence shaped by intellectual rigor and purpose, was given to two alumni who have pursued careers as professors.
Dr. Salma Mousa, Class of 2012, received her PhD from Stanford University, went on to teach at Yale, and is now an Assistant Professor at UCLA. Her research on social cohesion, refugee resettlement, and field-based program evaluation, has been published widely in academic journals and popular magazines.
Mohammed Al Sudairi, Class of 2011, is a Scholar of Middle East-East Asia relations, now teaching Politics and International Relations at the Centre for Arab and Islamic Studies at Australian National University. With graduate degrees from the London School of Economics, Peking University, and the University of Hong Kong, Mohammed brings a truly global lens to his work and has been widely published in leading academic journals.
Aljawhara Al Thani, Class of 2013, was recognized with the Community Impact Award for leadership and empathy in community engagement. Holding Master’s degrees from New York University and Columbia University, Aljawhara works to foster positive educational environments and meaningful dialogue in local schools as Manager of Safeguarding and Wellbeing at Qatar Foundation’s Pre-University Education.
“Her research on organizational culture and teacher well-being—combined with her mentorship initiatives—is driving lasting, systemic change,” said Dean Hellman.
Two Alumnae who started their own business were also recognized with the Entrepreneurship Impact Award, for their vision, ethics, and leadership. Amna Al Thani, Class of 2011, is CEO and Haajerah Khan, Class of 2010, is Managing Director of Strategy Hub, a firm they founded after identifying a gap in the market for locally rooted, high-caliber consulting talent.
Amna, who holds a Master’s degree in International Security from Sciences Po, and Haajerah who received her Master’s in International Business and Policy from Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. consult on projects across international and public policy, environmental sustainability, and communications, while cultivating the next generation of consultants in Qatar—many of whom are GU-Q alumni.
The Service Impact Award, which honors enduring commitment to service and social justice, was given to Class of 2020 graduate Ousman Camara, Founder of the Educate a Generation Foundation. While still a student at GU-Q, Ousman raised funds to rebuild the school where he completed memorizing the Qur’an, a spirit of service he took with him to Education Above All Foundation, and then to founding his own organization providing mental health support, mentorship, and quality education to underserved children in The Gambia and Sierra Leone.
The final award was granted to Dr. Haya Al Noaimi, a graduate of the inaugural Class of 2009 for Multiversity Impact. After receiving her PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, Haya returned to GU-Q as a Qatari postdoctoral fellow, where she taught courses on gender, politics, and Gulf futurism, offering a unique lens and serving as an inspiration for both local and international students.
Not long after, Haya became the first Qatari faculty member at Northwestern University in Qatar, helping define what it means to be a scholar in a multiversity landscape.
The awards were presented by Dean Joel Hellman of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service in Washington, DC. “It is a deep honor to recognize alumni who carry forward the legacy of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service—over a century old, and still the gold standard in global affairs. That legacy thrives here in Doha, where our graduates are shaping change across the world,” he said.