The separation between DC and Doha is real. At least in the DC campus, a majority of the students do not think about Doha, the GU-Q campus, and more importantly, the potential of how the two campuses can truly be connected through initiatives, clubs, and student organizations.
I realize the immense possibilities of connection, of learning, and of bridging together a true Georgetown community across two continents. For nearly 8 months since August 2023, I’ve been part of a small cohort of DC students in the DC-Doha Dialogues Initiative where we were invited by the Student Life Office to come to Doha and engage in conversations on social justice issues in the United States and in Qatar. During and after the program, nothing has embedded in us more than the idea of DC-Doha connections.
In all of our minds and during all of our conversations, we knew that more people needed to be connected through programs like this or even better, student organizations themselves. More people, especially those in the DC campus, need to realize that the opportunities we have should and can be shared with others. In every Georgetown club application form I have read and helped make, it dictates how “all Georgetown students are able to apply and join [club].” But, has “all” really meant “all”?
In my position as DEI Director for the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, I seek to help change this existing culture.
For 25 years, GJIA has served as the premier student-led academic publication of the School of Foreign Service. Providing the professional space for all undergraduate and graduate students to work with professionals, scholars, and government officials in policy analysis, GJIA has made an impactful dent in IR academia and the policy world. It has graduated alumni in the fields of government, consulting, law, diplomacy, and academia. It has published articles by top thinkers and officials in government such as political scientist Kenneth Waltz, Taiwan President Annette Lu, and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.
Each year, GJIA staff is continuing this tradition of academic excellence, international impact, and true policy-making. GJIA is special in that it is a student-run organization closely tied to the SFS administration, deans, faculty, and the school itself. It serves as the best organization to facilitate connection between both the SFS in DC and the SFS in Doha. GJIA can never truly be the premier publication of the SFS if almost 400 other Georgetown students are excluded from this opportunity. As of now, GJIA is opening its first application round for GU-Q students for the Spring 2024 hiring cycle.
*Applications are due by April 12th at 23:59pm AST. All students are welcome to apply.
