NU-Q prepares to celebrate seventh graduating class

Northwestern University in Qatar (NU-Q) will celebrate the graduation of its seventh and largest graduating class to date on May 7. This year’s class of 61 students joins with previous classes in completing their undergraduate education with an impressive list of accomplishments that include short films and documentaries, multimedia projects, news articles and research projects, as well as film scripts.

“Students from the graduating class of 2018 have won international film awards, research grants, media awards, and much more,” said Everette E. Dennis, dean and CEO. “They will join a NU-Q alumni network that already includes graduates who are pursuing careers at major media organizations, in government, banking, law, and business, as well as pursuing graduate degrees at universities that include Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, and Northwestern, among others.”

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, a renowned journalist, activist, and filmmaker, will be the graduation speaker. Obaid-Chinoy’s documentary film and projects have received international recognition, earning her two Academy Awards, six Emmy Awards, and a Lux Style Award. In addition, TIME magazine included her in its 2012 annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. 

Morton Schapiro, Northwestern’s President who has appeared at all seven NU-Q graduations will also speak. In addition to President Schapiro, also speaking at the graduation will be Dean Dennis and a member of the graduating class. Northwestern Provost Jonathon Holloway and other members of the University’s administration along with members of NU-Q’s Joint Advisory Board will also attend the event.

Reflecting on her undergraduate experience, Neha Rashid, a graduating senior, said, “My past four years at NU-Q have taught me to always question and think critically about different issues and to understand that, when I see something wrong, I have a voice and a responsibility to address that through whatever skill I can.”

The graduating class, which has students with 18 nationalities – including Australia, China, Germany, India, Sudan, Syria, the United States, and Yemen – will receive bachelor of science degrees from Northwestern University. In addition, to their majors in either journalism or communication, several students also had minors in Middle East studies and theatre, and several others earned certificates in Middle East studies and strategic communication.

“It is an exciting time to be a media graduate,” said Zaki Hussein, also graduating this year. “With a rapidly changing media landscape, the job of a media professional is important now more than ever. With the tangible and intangible skills that I honed in these four years, I look forward to shed some light on stories about minority voices that may be drowned by the influx of media content.”