Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service

SFS-Q’s first graduating class received their diplomas in early May at a ceremony held at the Museum of Islamic Art in Doha. Over 500 people came to witness the historic graduation of these 21 students from 12 nations, including His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of Qatar; Her Highness Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al Misned; and Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives.

Georgetown University president John J. DeGioia presented the commencement address, in which he congratulated the Class of 2009 on their many accomplishments and urged them to go forth and effect positive change in the world. “Your Georgetown experience is not to be left behind as a brief passage, a training program meant to prepare you for life,” he said, “but [should serve] as an inspiration and a constant reminder that learning is among the greatest expressions of the human spirit and a reason for living itself.”