GUQ Speaks

Hoya Welcome Week is just around the corner, and before the events, the icebreakers, and the chaos of first week, meet the two people behind it all. Your Welcome Week Coordinators Masa Qaoud and Anwesha Nath, both from the Class of 2028, sit down to introduce themselves and answer your burning questions straight from the Class of 2030. Because who better to help you navigate your first week than t...

For over 4 years, Kirby, a small pink plush ball , has been quietly traveling the world on Instagram, showing up in cities, landscapes, and moments across the globe, all through an anonymous account that's grown to nearly 1,000 followers without ever revealing who's behind it. In this episode, we finally sit down with the person carrying Kirby everywhere to talk about how it all started, w...

We love seeing our professors on global screens, but what actually goes into it? This episode features two GU-Q faculty members stepping into the spotlight. Dr. Raha Hakimdavar is a hydrologist, space science leader, and science policy expert whose work on water and climate security has made her a go-to voice since February 28. Professor Gabor Scheiring, a former Member of Parliament turned academ...

They were voted Best Duo by the Class of 2026, and if you know Farkhunda Fazelyar (CULP 2026) and Mahwash Sarwari, (IECO 2026), you know why. Ten years of friendship carried across Afghanistan, India, Washington D.C., and Qatar. Different cities, different chapters, the same two people showing up for each other. As we close out our time at GU-Q, they sit down to talk about what it actually takes t...

In this episode, outgoing SGA President Ali sits down with Panos, the newly elected 21st president of Georgetown University in Qatar's Student Government Association, to talk about what the job actually looks like the campaigns, the defeats, the WhatsApp wars, and the weight of a title that never quite lets you off the hook. From a joke introduction during room visits to a genuine shot at the...

Spring 2026 may be remembered as one of the most turbulent semesters in Georgetown University in Qatar's history. As missiles fell and the region held its breath, members of the GU-Q community did what communities do. They bore witness, they reached out, and they wrote. This episode documents the lived experiences of students, faculty, and staff navigating an uncertain world from the heart of...

She arrived at GU-Q just weeks into her tenure as President of the United Nations General Assembly — a role meant to represent the world's nations equally, impartially, together. But Students for Justice in Palestine weren't there to celebrate the appointment. As Germany's Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock had taken positions on Gaza that they could not let pass quietly into her new chapter. So...

In this episode, we welcome a first for our podcast: a faculty host. Professor Magdalena Rostron sits down with Bimba Panthi (Class of '29), a freshman who has already made his mark as a published author. His book,  Lungri , chronicles the Gen Z revolution in Nepal that put young people at the center of the conversation. Bimba takes us behind the pages, sharing what drove him to write the book...

Georgetown University first opened in Washington, DC in 1789. More than two centuries later, the School of Foreign Service expanded globally with the opening of the Doha campus in 2005 , now known as GU-Q , and most recently with a new branch in Indonesia. Across these campuses, students receive a Jesuit education shaped by very different cultural and social contexts. But what happens when a stude...

Welcome to our first official vodcast! In this premiere episode, hosts Ruth Kidane and Eeman Siddiqui (both Class of 2029) sit down with four graduating seniors representing diverse academic paths at Georgetown University-Qatar. Tashafee Masoodi (International History), Ahmed Ahmed (International Economics), Marianna Pereira de Souza (Culture and Politics), and Ali Nasir (International Politics) o...

This episode examines the Hiwaraat conference series, launched by the GU-Q administration in Fall 2023. The official GU-Q website describes the series: "Launched in Fall 2023, the Hiwaraat Conference Series offers timely and topical conferences that draw together experts, practitioners, scholars, policymakers, and youth to discuss some of the most pressing topics of our time." Since its...

In this episode, Professor Nouf Al-Thani, Deputy Director of Learning and Outreach at Lusail Museum (Qatar Museums), tells the story of Qatar as a cultural diplomat. How did Qatar build an identity that incorporates cultural diplomacy as soft power? How does a nation establish a distinct identity on the international stage? Tune in to discover Qatar's story as told by a Qatari scholar. This in...

Welcome back to GU-Q Speaks! In this special episode, we explore the inspiring journeys of two alumni who've returned to Georgetown University in Qatar as faculty members. Host Remas Alhawari (IPOL '26) sits down with Dr. Khalid Al-Jufairi (IPOL '09) and Dr. Maryam AlSada (IPOL '12) to discover how they transformed from curious students into accomplished scholars. Hear about their global academic...

A special collaboration between GUQ Speaks and the Hoya Welcome Week Coordinators! In this episode, host Maryam Al Ansari (Class of 2026) sits down with the dynamic duo behind Georgetown's Welcome Week planning: Panagiotis Dalgiannakis and Hassan Amin, both members of the Class of 2027. Discover what goes into coordinating Welcome Week events as Panos and Hassan share their vision for making the t...

Join us for our second Arabic special episode featuring students from both public and private universities across Doha, Qatar. Despite being in a relatively small country, discover how student experiences vary dramatically between campuses, creating worlds of difference. Our guests include Nour Alseaf from Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar, Jana Al Farra from University of Doha for Science and T...

As part of our ongoing summer series, we’re handing the mic to the professors and the students. In this episode, Dr. Dennis McCornac, Dr. Akintunde Akinade, Dr. James Olsen, Dr. Santaiago Garcia Couto, and Dr. Karine Walther read their own RateMyProfessor reviews out loud, unfiltered. Some are kind, others are brutal, and a few are just plain weird. Through it all, they reflect on what it means to...

As part of our summer series, we're excited to bring you monthly episodes exploring student experiences from around the globe. This month, we dive into the heart of Washington, D.C., through the eyes of Georgetown University Qatar's Class of 2026 students who spent their fall 2024 semester studying abroad at the main campus. Join us as Jay Pacer (International Politics), Tashafee Masoodi (Internat...

As commencement approaches and the Class of 2025 counts down to their graduation day, we're excited to continue our annual tradition of featuring seniors on our podcast. This year, we collaborate with the Senior Class Committee representing the four majors at GU-Q: Zahra Saboorzadeh (IECO), Maytha Al-Shrame (IPOL), Natali Fanik (IHIST), and John Carlos Burog (CULP). Tune in to hear these accomplis...

In the aftermath of the most contentious SGA amendment in recent memory, this episode revisits the referendum that ultimately led to the amendment’s reversal. But was that the real victory? Join Ibrahim Absar and Kim Chen in an unfiltered conversation recorded shortly after the referendum results were released. They unpack not just the vote itself, but the deeper issues of student representation,...

In this unexpected and fast-tracked episode, we respond to an urgent request from the SGA to help answer student-submitted questions that couldn't be addressed during the presidential debate held during lunch hour on Tuesday, April 15th, 2025. Recorded the very same day and released just hours before polls open, this special episode dives deep into the manifestos of the four presidential candidate...

Eid Mubarak, everyone! We present this episode as a Eid special, and we hope you enjoy it! Join us in our conversation about diverse Eid experiences from around the globe, spanning from the US to Bangladesh, with four GU-Q students: Ranneme Abu-Hajar (Class of '27), Adeena Hossain (Class of '27), Shyryn Nurlybek (Class of '27), with our host Shahd El-Said (Class of '26). During this conversation,...

This episode comes at a pivotal moment in GU-Q's history, marking the first time a call for a referendum has been made. On March 18, 2025, the student body received an email from the Student Government Association (SGA) informing them of new constitutional amendments. These amendments sparked division among students, further fueled by growing hostility toward the SGA. What does this mean for o...

Welcome to our first episode in Arabic, where we explore Education City as both a project and a mission to educate the Qatari youth since its establishment in 1997. This episode is brought to you by Moza Al-Hajri (IECO '26), Ahmed Al-Kuwari (CULP '23), and Leen Al-Thani (IPOL '28), who discuss what Education City means to them and whether it has fulfilled its promise of providing bette...

After the fall of the Assad regime's 54-year dictatorship, Syria begins the next chapter. Many questions have surfaced around the fall of the regime and how the Syrian state will rebuild and interact with Syrian society and foreign actors. Bayan Kayali (Class 26) discusses these questions with Professor Mehran Kamrava to understand a Political Scientist's reading of developments in Syria. As stude...

Our last episode of 2024 is brought to you by Sama Alissa (CULP ’27) and Jannah ElGamal (IHIST ’27), both members of the GU-Q Gazette. With the gazette's popularity growing, particularly due to its controversial pieces, Jannah explores her role as an author in our community. How does she choose her topics? Where does she begin her craft? What are the larger implications of publication? Join us to...