Showing 38 “Personal Growth” posts
Zarrish Ahmed is a senior at Georgetown University in Qatar majoring in International Politics with an independent Certificate in South Asian Studies. She reflects on how studying South Asian history reshaped her understanding of identity, power, and education.
Within my academic career at Georgetown, I have been fortunate. I have had multiple opportunities to grow, learn, fail, and succeed. However, so far, the most transformative experience I’ve had took place this summer as a Georgetown Pre-college Summer Program (GPS) Peer Tutor.
Ever since my first semester at GU-Q, I’ve been looking forward to going abroad. Not because I couldn’t wait to get away from GU-Q, but because I heard from upperclassmen how their study abroad experiences changed them, and I’ve always felt a longing for that feeling that they described. As my junior year was approaching, it started becoming a reality. I filled out the applications, packed my room, and left Doha knowing that I would not return for another 8 months.
After 14 weeks of classes, midterms, and assignments, we are beginning to wind down the Spring 2025 semester. I started this semester with unbridled enthusiasm, especially in choosing classes aligned with my major. Now, 14 weeks later, I am left with a sense of accomplishment and perhaps some subdued excitement.
When I first arrived at GU-Q, there was one academic requirement I was secretly dreading: Language Proficiency. Having grown up a native speaker of Arabic and having studied it for 12 years, it was the natural choice for me to pursue my proficiency in Arabic. Up until that point, Arabic classes had always felt like a mere checkbox on my educational to-do list. The thought of enduring this once more in university was less than appealing.
When I was a first year student, I used to worry that my academic interests were too scattered to fit neatly into the structured world of university research. It wasn’t about the variety of academic opportunities offered at Georgetown, rather the uncertainty of how to navigate them from an interdisciplinary point of view. Even so, I wasn’t sure whether these interests would translate into tangible opportunities.
Travel has always been one of the most powerful ways to learn about history, about the world, and about ourselves. There’s something deeply transformative about stepping into a place shaped by a history different from our own, immersing ourselves in its culture, and seeing firsthand the realities we’ve only encountered in books or lectures. That is why I have come to love traveling, not just as a hobby, but as a way to grow.
Four years ago, I made a decision that changed my life. Leaving my high school in South Africa, I took a leap of faith to pursue a degree in International Politics at Georgetown University in Qatar. Today, as I count down the final 100 days to graduation, I find myself reflecting on how this journey has reshaped my worldview, career aspirations, and sense of purpose.
Starting my journey at Georgetown was exciting, but I never imagined it would lead to an adventure in Nepal within just two months of stepping foot in Qatar for the first time. When I found out I got selected for a fully funded, 10-day trip to Nepal under the Community Engagement Program, it was amazing news!
How was your summer? I still can’t believe that fall semester has begun and I am a junior! It’s been two years of writing and talking to you all and now I am entering the second chapter of being a student at Georgetown. Summer is every university student’s favorite time! It is an opportunity to reunite with family and friends, a space to research and intern, and most importantly travel.
