Georgetown’s Incoming Students include 160 Exceptional Students, and a BBC Most Influential Woman

Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) proudly welcomed its largest incoming class during New Student Convocation; its 160 members representing nearly 50 countries are defined by ambition, purpose, and global perspective.

Dean Safwan Masri welcomed students to their new home, encouraging them to embrace optimism in today's troubled world, saying: “You now inherit a legacy built long before your arrival—Jesuit and Islamic traditions bound by a common call to justice and service… Imagine the world as it should be, then rush toward it with unrelenting intent.”

This year’s incoming class of world shapers includes one of the BBC’s 100 Most Influential Women, Nawal Butt, a fierce advocate for disability rights. She exemplifies the spirit of all the incoming students, which encompasses award-winning pianists, debate champions, community leaders, and polyglots from nearly every corner of the globe.

During the welcoming ceremony, students were inspired on their journey by Associate Professor of History Waleed Ziad, an award-winning scholar of Muslim revivalism in Asia, who reminded them that:  “GU-Q is a place where empathy is cultivated through real encounters, made possible by Georgetown’s holistic, ethical, and engaged educational ethos, and Qatar as a global hub for thought, culture, and education.”

For this year’s incoming class, joining the Georgetown community is just the first step toward their ambitions. They enter prepared not just to learn, but to become the empathetic, proactive leaders that their nations require.