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With the Fall semester around the corner, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (HBKU) is prepared to re-open its doors to its graduate students this week, many of whom are returning from academic trips or professional internships, or have successfully concluded research projects. A set of highly-motivated students are returning to HBKU following the successful completion of their master’s programs in order to round off their academic journey with a PhD degree.
The University takes an active role in the promotion of graduate development throughout the summer, offering plenty of support by connecting interested students with local and international opportunities in the form of internship placements, academic conferences and professional development prospects.
Speaking on the advantages of the University’s supportive environment, Vice President for Student Affairs at HBKU Ms. Maryam Hamad Al-Mannai said: “As HBKU is quickly establishing itself as a recognized name within the domain of internationally-acclaimed graduate institutions, the current student body enjoys vast benefits of the latest state-of-the-art facilities and the expertise of remarkably motivated faculty. These are integral factors that sustain our educational experience, which is defined by a distinctive academic infrastructure and rich extracurricular options within our home in Education City.”
Recounting his dynamic summer placement at Qatar’s official organizing entity of FIFA World Cup 2022, Almas Lokhandwala, a Juris Doctor student at HBKU’s College of Law and Public Policy (CLPP), said: "I completed my internship at Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy's (SC) Legal and Compliance Department. Working in a corporate environment is completely different than a university setting - the real industry insights and skills that I learned during my time at the Committee were truly unique. To this end, they complemented my academic and theoretical education in CLPP's classrooms.”
With the Russia 2018 World Cup underway this summer, Lokhandwala’s internship coincided with some major milestones of the Qatar 2022 project, allowing him to explore complex concepts of commercial law and contract management first-hand.
"This internship not only reinforced my understanding of the law, but also allowed me to better prepare myself for a career in the legal industry in Qatar. I am thankful to my professors at CLPP and mentors at SC for their efforts in making this internship a great learning experience for me," she said.
Expanding on her professional development experience (which concluded early last summer), Dina Ramadan, who is currently enrolled in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Master of Arts in Audiovisual Translation Studies, said: “Having embarked on a three-month internship at the Translation and Interpreting Institute, I viewed this opportunity as a real investment towards my professional objectives just ahead of my final year of graduate studies. During my internship, I worked with individuals that were both hard-of-hearing and others who were visually impaired. Each group of people required unique assistive support to help them experience life in ways many of us take for granted. I prepared subtitling for the deaf and hard-of-hearing, also known as SDH captioning, which was effective in helping them watch documentaries. Similarly, I scripted and recorded specialized audio files describing art artefacts around the Qatar Foundation Headquarters for individuals with visual impairments.”
While the local market has translators, only a few have specialized in audiovisual translation for people with disabilities. Therefore, Ramadan’s internship helped her achieve a deeper understanding of the professional choices she may find available following graduation.
“I return for my final year at HBKU with conflicting emotions; as I am increasingly conscious of the limited time that remains for the exploration of my own graduate experience. At the same time, I hope this awareness will be the maker of a transformative final year as I prepare to round off my learning experience alongside my fellow classmates and favorite professors this year,” she said.
Likewise, Mannan Mehzabeen, a Spring 2018 graduate of the Master of Science in Sustainable Environment at the College of Science and Engineering, decided to continue her path in academia by returning to complete the corresponding PhD in Sustainable Environment program at HBKU with the same "Sustainable Built Environment'' research group.
Drawing on her experiences as an incoming student, Mehzabeen advises: “My motivation to embark on my doctoral training at HBKU stems from my positive experience within the University throughout the last couple of years, which were marked by memorable group projects and unique study-abroad opportunities that ultimately culminated in my final research thesis. Overall, HBKU offers a very cooperative environment that confers unique challenges and opportunities onto its students – all of which should be availed wherever possible.”
Ramadan and Mehzabeen’s ambitions are shared by many returning HBKU students whose physical, academic and professional journeys during the course of their previous academic year and adjoining summer cumulated in a wealth of experiences that will complement the successful continuation of their academic journey at HBKU.
Their experiences further contribute to their place within the collective framework of Qatar’s aspirations, and will be carried forth by a young generation of thought-leaders who can assume the industry challenges within a rapidly expanding national economy.
Born out of Qatar’s aspirations towards the provision of world-class educational opportunities that cater to the growing national market-economy, HBKU continues to offer a unique advantage to students through its broad range of academic offerings, including highly innovative programs, developmental resources, and professional opportunities to support student learning.