At the Qatar Foundation Convocation for the Class of 2025, outstanding graduates were honoured with the prestigious QF Excellence Award, recognising not only academic excellence but also leadership, creativity, and community engagement.
The Peninsulaspoke with several of these exceptional students, each with a unique journey shaped by the diverse opportunities offered across Education City. Jingjie Wang, a Communication major at Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) with double minors in Artificial Intelligence and Media and also Media and Politics, expressed deep gratitude for the recognition. “I think this is really recognition for me because it’s selected for two students from the whole 180 students from my batch,” said Wang, who hails from China. “It’s a recognition for not only my academic excellence in the university but also my cross-disciplinary engagement and professional experiences.”
Wang emphasised the value of Education City’s interdisciplinary ecosystem. “Northwestern University in Qatar offers not only prestigious academic programmes from the US campus, but also diverse opportunities like cross-disciplinary engagements,” she said, referencing courses she took at Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar and a joint minor with Georgetown University in Qatar. As for the future, she is eager to develop AI products.
Abdul Hanan, an international student from Pakistan, graduated from Georgetown University in Qatar with a major in International Politics and a minor in Economics. “I feel incredibly proud. I feel incredibly grateful to receive this recognition after having called this place my home,” he shared. “I feel also a heightened sense of responsibility… to give back to the community that has embraced me as its own.”
Hanan, who aspires to join Qatar’s arts and culture industry, particularly in cultural diplomacy, said choosing Qatar Foundation was driven by both academic excellence and personal alignment.
“On top of that, I received a very generous scholarship from Qatar Foundation, which made the decision even easier. So, I decided to enrol and move to Qatar, and I haven’t regretted it ever since,” he said. Another International student Abdulbosit Shukhrabekov from Uzbekistan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar with a degree in Business Administration, a concentration in Finance, and a minor in Economics. “I’m truly humbled and honoured to be recognised by Qatar Foundation for the efforts put throughout my last four years,” he said.
He credited Education City’s collaborative model for expanding his horizons. “Qatar Foundation established such a great ecosystem of different highly ranked American universities in Qatar… This ecosystem helped me shape my perspectives from different angles.”
With certifications including CFA Levels 1 and 2, Bekif plans to contribute to the Qatar Investment Authority’s portfolio, particularly in Central Asia.
