GU-Q student honored at international leadership program

Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q) student Abdurrehman Naveed (SFS’17) was awarded the best delegate award for his performance during the 16^th annual leadership program of the Preparing Global Leaders Institute (PGLI). Out of a cohort of 35 delegates from 26 countries, Naveed became the first Georgetown student—from Qatar or the Main Campus in Washington, D.C.—to be awarded the distinction.

The 11-day program, which was held in Macedonia over the summer, brought together young leaders from around the world for short courses on political economy, international relations, diplomacy, foreign policy, leadership and communication. Participants were given the opportunity to practice and improve their skills through a range of simulations and competitions.

Mentors for the program included Dr. Sam Potolicchio, director of Global and Custom Education at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, Donald Steel, former chief communications officer at the BBC, and public relations expert Kosta Petrov. Naveed, who is majoring in International Politics at GU-Q, applied to the program after finding out about the caliber of mentors who would be attending.

“I had been looking for opportunities to engage with individuals who were experts in the field of leadership development,” he explained. “Additionally, I wanted to learn more about the culture and identity politics of the Balkans—a region much overlooked in the study of international affairs—through the people of the region themselves and not merely through textbooks. Taking place in Macedonia and hosting a number of delegates from the Balkan states, PGLI seemed like a wonderful opportunity. I wanted to immerse myself in an environment where I would be in the company of other talented individuals aspiring to make meaningful contributions within their local communities.”

“At Georgetown, we encourage students to become leaders and active citizens of the world,” said Associate Dean of Student Affairs at GU-Q, Dr. Brendan Hill. “It is great to hear about Abdurrehman’s experiences and successes at a program attended by such diverse international participants.”

In addition to classes in Struga and the Macedonian capital Skopje, the program included a guest lecture by British diplomats and a key-note address by the United States Ambassador to Macedonia. Delegates also had the opportunity to visit the ancient town of Ohrid, one of the oldest human settlements in Europe and an UNESCO World Heritage site.

“My favorite part of the program was the intellectual, cultural and professional diversity that I was exposed to during my interactions with the other delegates in Macedonia, who were coming from 25 different countries,” explained Naveed. “For instance, my PGLI cohort included someone who was a professional writer and novelist, someone who was a post-graduate student working in nano-technology, someone who was working for the corporate firm Ernst and Young and so forth. The program has given me with the opportunity to engage in dialogue with people from parts of the world that I would never have had the opportunity to interact with otherwise.”