Three paths, one mission: GU-Q grads champion social justice, understanding
GEORGETOWN University in Qatar (GU-Q) will honour the personal triumphs of its newest graduating class in May. Their unique stories are a testament to how GU-Q’s holistic education enriched their sense of purpose.
Moza Al-Kaabi, an International Politics major, excelled academically and in leadership roles. During her time serving as president of the Qatari cultural organization, Al Liwan Club, and chair of the Georgetown Leadership Ambassadors programme, she planned a number of events and acted as university ambassador for an exciting roster of diplomatic speakers, scholars and foreign affairs practitioners visiting GU-Q. These experiences honed her diplomacy skills and allowed her to celebrate her Qatari heritage while nurturing cultural understanding among her diverse peers.
“Georgetown University offers many opportunities that encourage undergraduate students to realize and exercise their full potential,” she reflects, highlighting the connections she made including enriching experiences such as a semester abroad and helping to organise the Georgetown Model United Nations. Internships at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and mentorship from senior diplomats through the Diplomat for a Day programme were also pivotal to her growth, laying a solid foundation for her career aspirations in the political sphere.
For social justice advocate Renee Vongai Mutare, GU-Q allowed her to gain a broader perspective on how to address the underlying challenges facing her country, Zimbabwe. “I aimed to lay a strong groundwork in health justice and economics,” she said, majoring in International Economics, and conducting grant-funded health research. She also co-authored a conference paper with a Georgetown post-doctoral fellow on COVID-19 governance.
But it was the way the university encouraged her to live her values that really made an impact, as a leader on campus of the Black Student Association, and through her community service. “Georgetown’s values have profoundly shaped my role as a social justice advocate,” she explains. Her work has been recognised through prestigious awards from the university including the Education and Social Justice Fellowship, Human Fraternity Fellowship, Penner Family Award, and the Lena Landegger Community Service Award. These awards have included research, travel, and speaking opportunities.
“The extension of my advocacy from the Georgetown community to the international arena underscores my dedication to fostering positive change,” she says, grateful for the global exposure. Recently accepted into Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Renee is on her way towards fulfilling her goal of making a positive impact on her country and the world.
Brought up in Nepal during and after the 1996-2006 war, Pragyan Acharya says, “The impact of conflict and political turmoil on my education was significant, and inspired me to pursue education and conflict as a course of study.” Working with his advisors, he personalised his International Politics major with an Education, Inquiry, and Justice (EDIJ) minor, completed during a semester abroad at the Washington, DC campus. An Education and Social Justice Fellowship, and an Honours thesis allowed him to conduct substantive research on education, while an experiential learning trip to Nepal through the Zones of Conflict, Zones of Peace programme further allowed him to explore his interests and share his experiences with his peers, laying a solid foundation for graduate studies in the field.
In addition to his focused academics, Pragyan is also a champion debater and debate leader. He contributed to GUQ’s dominance on the national debate league, and served as a board member and coach for Debate Network Nepal. Reflecting on his journey, he humbly credits his achievements to the support of staff and faculty advisors, especially his thesis supervisor, Dr Uday Chandra. “I think my biggest achievement was to form intimate and meaningful relationships with faculty and staff mentors, and peers that have pushed me to be better throughout my time at GU-Q.”
As they join the thriving network of GU-Q alumni, these well-rounded, service-oriented young graduates are poised to make an impact in their chosen fields, working toward a better future for all communities across the globe.