As they step into the world, three outstanding graduates from Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q)’s Class of 2024 are ready to leave their mark across diverse fields. Equipped with deep insights and skills honed at GU-Q, they are not just prepared for the future—they are defining it.
Active Citizen: Mohammed Al-Zeyara
Qatari graduate, Mohammed Al-Zeyara, an International Politics major, has set his sights on a transformative role in his country and the world. GU-Q’s diverse environment cultivated his international perspective and taught him the importance of communication. “Georgetown Qatar’s campus is a truly multicultural experience that guarantees a deep interaction with people from a multitude of backgrounds,” he says.
Student life offered him a practical arena to apply his classroom skills. From serving on the Dean’s Residential Life Task Force to volunteering during the 2022 FIFA World Cup QatarTM, he embraced roles that sharpened his community leadership capabilities. With graduate school on the horizon and work experience in the security sector, Mohammed is well-prepared to drive change.
Social Entrepreneur and Published Scholar: Nur Mukhammadiev
“Coming from a small town [in Uzbekistan], my time at GU-Q has been truly transformative,” reflects Nurmukhammad Mukhammadiev (Nur). “I tried to make the most out of the resources available.” Balancing an International Economics major with a Philosophy minor to deepen his problem-solving and critical thinking abilities, Nur grasped opportunities within Education City to expand his curricular focus. The talented, self-taught computer programmer excelled at multiversity initiatives like the International Collegiate Programming Competition and Microsoft Imagine Cup, later channeling his knowledge into a business project awarded mentorship and support from HBKU’s Innovative Entrepreneurship Program.
Nur’s commitment to social impact earned him recognition and support from Georgetown University’s Social Innovation and Public Service (SIPS) Fund, which advanced his project to train women in STEM skills back home. His research on racial bias in the football industry was facilitated by a GU-Q grant from the Dean’s Undergraduate Research Fund and he has co-authored a peer-reviewed paper on eye-tracking technology in healthcare with former GU-Q postdoctoral fellow Mohammed Tahri Sqalli. As he plans to launch a startup in the region, Nur is on his way to becoming a key figure in social entrepreneurship.
Rhodes Scholar: Asma Shakeel
Asma Shakeel distinguished herself with multiple prestigious awards for her academic excellence, including the Provost’s Distinguished Undergraduate Research Fellowship, the Lisa J. Raines Fellowship, and the Georgetown University Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (GUROP). The unwavering support and mentorship nurtured Asma’s advanced scholarly skills to pursue her interest in South Asia’s missionary history, alongside her International History major.
Her interest in cross-cultural understanding is also evident in her leadership roles, as President of the South Asian Society and a member of the Georgetown Debating Union team that competed at the World Universities Debating Championship in South Korea. Most recently, Asma was invited to speak at Georgetown Global Dialogues where she shared the stage with renowned academics, artists, and journalists.
Awarded the 2024 Rhodes Scholarship, she will pursue her master’s in Global and Imperial history and a PhD at the University of Oxford. “I am indebted to the unwavering support that I have received from Georgetown University in Qatar. Producing sincere scholarship is a privilege not afforded to many and I am merely a custodian of the guidance that has come my way from GU-Q’s faculty over the years,” she reflects proudly.
Asma, Mohammed, and Nur exemplify the Georgetown spirit. Their holistic education has prepared them as future leaders and innovators ready to engage with pressing global issues in a changing world.
For more information on Georgetown Qatar’s faculty and student news, please visit the website at https://www.qatar.georgetown.edu/news/.
