Headline: Six African Student Leaders Found Their Path Through Georgetown in Qatar. Here's What They Built Along the Way.

They could have gone to London or New York. Instead, they chose Doha. 

These graduates of Georgetown University in Qatar’s class of 2026 — from Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, Uganda, Senegal, and Cameroon — opted for GU-Q over more traditional paths in the West, drawn in part by the school’s own standing within Georgetown’s global network. All six came through the African Leadership Academy in Johannesburg, one of the continent’s most selective secondary schools, before enrolling at GU-Q. 

What they encountered is a broad, expansive education in international affairs that goes beyond a traditional American or Gulf classroom, where they deepened their understanding of their own region.

“Africa is not a monolith,” said Jemimah Golo, a Nigeria native who studied Culture and Politics. Although she grew up an ethnic minority, she discovered the true diversity of the continent during a class trip to Mauritius. “It’s limitless in its possibilities, resources and amount of talented people on ground. I am excited for its future.”

A musician, Jemimah focused her studies on the relationship between music, society, and power. She interned with Mavin Records, the continent’s largest record label, and used university research funding to travel to Ghana, where she studied how diaspora communities shape global perceptions of African sound. Having made a name for herself around Qatar and on stage at GU-Q, when she performed her original songs at GU-Q’s Africa Night celebration, she earned a thunderous response.

“They were singing along to my lyrics,” she said. “I was quite humbled.”

Jaelene Iyman grew up in South Africa as a descendant of Indian indentured laborers who arrived in Durban more than 170 years ago. She came to Doha carrying questions about identity and belonging, and the university’s multicultural environment gave her the tools to work through them. An International Politics major, she interned in Washington, DC, observed the American legal system through a clinic in New York, conducted fieldwork in Kenya, and studied in Italy. She also helped create the university’s first student writing anthology, "Aswatna," which amplified the diverse voices of her peers.

A first-generation college student and the only community member to study overseas, Jaelene was transformed by the opportunities she encountered. “Being able to travel abroad to conduct research and learn from local people is something that can’t be quantified.”
Nelly Kakeya Kalukango of Lusaka, also arrived in Doha as the first in her family to attend college, and the only Zambian at GU-Q. Intending to study international economics she left with a major in Culture and Politics. The shift towards studying human agency crystallized during a women’s leadership trip to Georgetown’s U.S. campus in her third year.

There among global peers and women in the halls of the U.S. government, Nelly overcame her fears to unapologetically represent herself and her people. “It made me solidify my thoughts on the complete power of passion to effect change.”

She used that agency to get an internship at the Zambian Embassy in Doha and serve as vice president of the African Students Association, where she built support systems for students arriving in the city.

Ruth Nicole Kulyomulunda of Uganda leveraged student experience funding to support Uganda’s diplomatic presence in Qatar and wrote a practical guide for Ugandan students navigating Education City — a resource she said she wished had existed when she arrived. The International Economics major performed in a dance trio with Jemimah during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, pursued a minor in philosophy, and found an unexpected spiritual community along the way.

“Even in a Muslim-majority country, I found a community that supported my Christian spiritual journey,” she said. “For that, I am deeply grateful.”

Seynabou Tall of Senegal, a Culture and Politics major, and Jessica Ornella Nett of Cameroon, who graduated cum laude in International Economics, completed a cohort that logged research across more than a dozen countries. 

Following in the footsteps of ALA alumni before them, including Rhodes Scholar Fatima Yunusa (GU-Q’25), the Class of 2026 cohort ensured that the eight ALA graduates who enrolled after them benefited from their mentorship, offering them a safety net for exploring the world, and a reminder of the communities at home waiting to benefit from their knowledge.  

They leave GU-Q with degrees, fieldwork experience, embassy internships, and diplomatic networks — and, several said, a sharper sense of what leadership actually demands. For many, the work now begins elsewhere, shaped in part by the place they chose when they decided not to follow a more expected path. Throughout it all, the ALA community remained a cornerstone and inspiration.

“The ALA community in Education City has been a pillar and my rock,” Jaelene said.