SFS-Q Students Profiled in Society Magazine
Saleh Al-Mana first developed a passion for football when he was a young child and attributes much of this interest to the strong football culture in Qatar. “Growing up in Qatar nearly everyone likes to play football or has some sort of passion towards it. Ever since I was young I liked to watch and play football with my brothers and cousins,” said Saleh Al-Mana about his passion for football. He went onto explain that witnessing the 1998 World Cup was what first created the spark for his immense love of the sport. “I was only 7 years old and I saw Zinedine Zidane in his peak. This was by far one of the most pivotal moments in my life.”
From this early start it certainly didn’t take much convincing for Al-Mana to put himself forward to be the team captain of The Hoyas, Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar’s (SFS-Q), football team. “I’ve been The Hoyas team captain for one semester and it’s a great experience. What motivated me the most is that I was given the honor to lead a great team that plays to their fullest in every game. I’m truly grateful and when the coach gives you the responsibility, you have to do every-thing you can to attain the best standard.”
As team captain, Al-Mana has a number of duties, most notably to always look out for his teammates – on and off the pitch.“Whenever one of the players feels down I have to go to him and try to motivate him to do better. Also, on the pitch I have to follow the coach’s instructions and always try to implement the tactics and strategies we discuss before the match.”Holding this position has also benefited his studies, providing leadership skills that will enable him to take what he has developed during practice and game time into the classroom. “It’s truly a privilege to be captain because I get to learn so much from the different people I get to play with or against.” With the Hoyas recently winning the Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) Fall Football Tournament, Al-Mana is clearly doing a great job. However, he puts most of this success down to The Hoya’s coach, Chris Wilson, “Coach Wilson was the most vital person for our success this season; I truly look up to him and learn so much from him.
Currently in this fourth year at SFS-Q, Al Mana spoke about how attending the elite international affairs university has contributed to his personal development. “Attending SFS-Q has helped me a lot in developing the necessary skills that I will use in my life and in my future. SFS-Q provides rigorous courses that help push their students to explore new boundaries within the realm of academia. It also provides that necessary time and nurturing when students start to develop during their college life.”
Tala Al-Naama, a sophomore at Georgetown School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q), attributes much of his motivation for being a high achiever to the competitive academic atmosphere at SFS-Q, as well as the encouraging attitude of faculty members and notably his parents. “Faculty plays a big part in encouraging us to challenge the ideas we put forth in our arguments by constantly testing them and offering alternative opinions. Most importantly, I think the values and motivations I exhibit in academia were nurtured by my parents, who exposed me early on in my life to education and its benefits.”
Al-Naama enjoys complimenting his studies at SFS-Q with a range of extracurricular activities in order to help play a future role in his country’s development. In addition to enrolling in classes during the semester, Al-Naama has the opportunity to take part in various clubs SFS-Q offers, including the debate club, which participates in the annual Qatar Foundation (QF) college league debate. “I’m also part of the MUN team, where we organize an annual simulation of the United Nations for high school students, not only in Qatar, but from high schools throughout the region, and as far as the USA.”
Finding many aspects of his studies at SFS-Q rewarding, Al-Naama states that perhaps one of the most is the access to high quality academic opinion from various sources. “One of the aspects I enjoy the most in my studies is the reading materials that teachers assign to us in classes. The variety and quality of the readings helps us develop a better understanding of world affairs, by looking at them from different angles.” Al-Naama adds that he also relishes the diversity of the students in the classrooms, which helps make studying at SFS-Q more gratifying because they can discuss the readings and present ideas coming from a variety of backgrounds
Al-Naama went onto say that he feels highly privileged to have the opportunity to attend SFS-Q, which is world renowned for its high standards of education, “SFS-Q and QF have offered me the quality of education that is the envy of many in the world. I get to live with my family here,and at the same time receive a high-quality American education. The vast amount of resources available, from the SFS-Q library, to the health and wellness club, to the accessibility of faculty members via walk-in hours, these are the ways SFS-Q contributes greatly to my academic and personal development.”
In terms of his future plans, Al-Naama is already considering his post-graduation prospects and plans to work in the Foreign Affairs department of Qatar, “My country has given me so much, and it is only fair for me to pay back the debt I owe them by working here and helping to shape Qatar’s development.
Al-Naama feels that his academic achievement at SFS-Q will help shape his career after graduation, “By working in Foreign Affairs, I hope to demonstrate and apply what I learned in the class at SFS-Q. I love to travel, and it would be a great honor for me to represent my country in international venues and conferences that discuss the challenges facing the world community as a whole.”
Muhammad Sarim Zia is a junior at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q). As a transfer student, this is Zia’s first year at SFS-Q. He heard about Georgetown’s program in Qatar while attending the Model United Nations (MUN) in Vancouver. Zia said, “I was studying in Pakistan for a degree in politics and economics when a couple of people told me about Georgetown. I discovered that Georgetown had a School of Foreign Service in Qatar, and I looked it up and fell in love with the place. It was everything I wanted it to be. It was small, and only three hours away. SFS-Q was closer to home, which was one of my parents’ concerns with respect to my attending a university in the United States.”Although Zia is an economics major, he enjoys exploring other subjects. He said,“I make sure that whatever I’m doing that I give my attention to it. I take up different things in order to discover what interests me. The environment and the professors inspire you to explore different topics,and that’s what I’ve been trying to do.” Zia hopes to participate in the Zones of Conflict, Zones of Peace program in which SFS-Q students travel to a conflict site that is in a current stage of resolution,such as Rwanda. Zia explained, “I’m looking forward to my first Zones trip. Rwanda is something that I’ve been interested in for the last three years, so I hope to go and see the place that I’ve read so much about.” He added, “It’s opportunities like that which make you feel you are overall getting a well-rounded education at SFS-Q, not just theory out of textbooks.” Always busy, Zia works in the dean’s office and was part of the Georgetown football team, which won the recent tournament. Model United Nations is a real passion for Zia and he hopes to work with one of the committees during the upcoming Georgetown MUN in February. When asked about future plans Zia says he hopes to do some travel and expects to pursue a master’s degree. He said, “I’m interested in the development sector, Ido economics, and I really hope I can go back to Pakistan and help out with the macro issues.”
American student Nikhil Lakhanpal came all the way from Atlanta, Georgia, to attend Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service in Qatar (SFS-Q). He is a sophomore who is a member of the Georgetown basketball team and an avid golfer, but Lakhanpal’s primary interest is in contributing something positive to society and making the world a better place.
Lakhanpal says SFS-Q has spurred his interests even more. “Being part of the Georgetown community is not only about academic learning but about personal growth. The diversity among the students is by far the most rewarding thing.”
“At Georgetown we have students who are driven not just by academics but by personal motivation to make their countries better,” Lakhanpal explains. “You have people who come from all over the world, from all sorts of backgrounds,in a way I never experienced before in the United States.”
Lakhanpal, who is part of the SFS-Q honor council and the university’s student government association, says he realizes his path has been “a bit unorthodox.” He clarifies by saying, “I’m a Hindu Indian-American from the Bible Belt of the United States studying at a Jesuit university in an Islamic country,” But, Lakhanpal says, it is the unique nature of this very path that has made it so appealing.
As a student, Lakhanpal already makes a contribution to his community by working as an English tutor in SFS-Q’s Academic Services. However, as for the future, he says, “I feel it’s my duty when I become older, and when I get the proper education, to try to bridge peoples of different countries and different communities, just like I try to do here in the classroom.”“My family has been very important in motivating me,” Lakhanpal reveals. “My grandfather served the Indian government as a civil servant throughout his career, and my father is a doctor in the US and he serves people in a different way. I aim to hopefully serve my government and the people of my country back home one day as well”