Leadership Perspectives

Hey Tartans,

Can you believe that we’re already halfway through October? Relay For Life, a mid-semester landmark, happened Saturday night, Homecoming is only two weekends away, and my Phillies are roaring through the National League playoffs (a rarity for most Octobers). This semester seems to be moving by very quickly. And as a senior, that’s kind of scary.

Rather than offer an update of student government’s progress and accomplishments over the past half semester, I want to take this chance to introduce many of you to an incredible opportunity available for undergraduate students. As we’re all aware, there are many things that make Carnegie Mellon unique. And while Carnival, the Kiltie Band, and bagpipes might ring uniqueness to both you and me, Carnegie Mellon’s continued pursuit regarding international initiatives is what makes this university so special on a global scale. Internationalization is even one of the six pillars of our university’s strategic plan.

Carnegie Mellon Qatar, our sister campus in Doha, is one of the main symbols of our outreach over the past five years. As an offspring of the Fifth-Year Scholar Program, eight Carnegie Mellon Pittsburgh students, myself being one, traveled to Doha last spring through Student Affairs. This trip was an effort to assess how best to create meaningful relationships, mainly on a non-academic level, between the Pittsburgh and Doha campuses. From this trip, the group Initiating Meaningful Pittsburgh and Qatar Transactions (IMPAQT) was formed in an effort to sustain cross-campus collaboration.

IMPAQT is looking for students who are interested in continuing to make an “impaqt” between the two campuses. Besides an all-expenses paid trip to Qatar, which I must say is amazing, being a member of this group really affords the opportunity to make substantial change on both the Pittsburgh and Doha campuses. A huge percentage of Pittsburgh students still do not even know that the Doha campus exists, let alone understand Qatari culture or the possibility for student interaction between the campuses.

When looking back over the past four years, traveling to Doha and being a part of this initiative ranks high on my list of my favorite things I’ve done at Carnegie Mellon. If you want more information about the group or how you can apply, check out www.tinyurl.com/impaqt. Applications are due Oct. 20.

Good luck with midterms and enjoy mid-semester break!