Northwestern Qatar formally welcomed its 18th and largest incoming class, Class of 2029, at the 2025 Convocation ceremony, where Dean and CEO Marwan M. Kraidy urged the new students to see their first day not simply as the start of their studies, but as the beginning of a lifelong journey of renewal.
The new students, including the university’s largest international intake since 2020, a 55 percent increase from last year, represent a dynamic range of cultures and countries. For the first time, the school welcomed students from Niger, Belarus, and Côte d’Ivoire.
“You embody the richness of our world,” Dean Kraidy told the incoming class. “Like the classes before you, you all contribute to nurturing and cultivating the community that makes NU-Q what it is.”
In his remarks, Kraidy encouraged students to see their first day of university not simply as a milestone, but as a turning point in their lives. “Today is not only your first day of university. It is the first day of the rest of your life. It is a moment of transformation. You have left behind familiar people and places, and you now stand at the threshold of an extraordinary journey,” he said.
The new students, including the university’s largest international intake since 2020, a 55 percent increase from last year, represent a dynamic range of cultures and countries. For the first time, the school welcomed students from Niger, Belarus, and Côte d’Ivoire.
“You embody the richness of our world,” Dean Kraidy told the incoming class. “Like the classes before you, you all contribute to nurturing and cultivating the community that makes NU-Q what it is.”
In his remarks, Kraidy encouraged students to see their first day of university not simply as a milestone, but as a turning point in their lives. “Today is not only your first day of university. It is the first day of the rest of your life. It is a moment of transformation. You have left behind familiar people and places, and you now stand at the threshold of an extraordinary journey,” he said.
“Today is not only your first day of university. It is the first day of the rest of your life. It is a moment of transformation. You have left behind familiar people and places, and you now stand at the threshold of an extraordinary journey”
- Marwan M. Kraidy, dean and CEO of Northwestern Qatar
Framing this journey through tajdeed, or renewal, Kraidy emphasized that choosing Northwestern Qatar is itself an act of transformation: “By choosing Northwestern Qatar, you are renewing your sense of self, your direction, and your purpose.” Renewal, he explained, is not a single event but a continuous process—one that will guide students not only during their university years, but throughout their personal and professional lives.
This concept, he noted, is especially relevant at a time of rapid global change. From geopolitical conflicts and resurgent hatred to disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, the world presents both uncertainty and opportunity. “Your ability to cultivate renewal, to practice tajdeed, will determine how you navigate the challenges and opportunities of this era,” Kraidy said.
Kraidy outlined practical ways students could embrace renewal during their undergraduate career: mapping out goals while remaining open to change, mastering fundamentals, cultivating curiosity across disciplines, and making the most of the university’s faculty, facilities, and community. More than grades, he stressed, the aim of a Northwestern education is to graduate “as a whole person—with intellectual strength, practical skills, ethical grounding, and a renewed sense of who you are and how you can contribute to the world.”
This concept, he noted, is especially relevant at a time of rapid global change. From geopolitical conflicts and resurgent hatred to disruptive technologies such as artificial intelligence, the world presents both uncertainty and opportunity. “Your ability to cultivate renewal, to practice tajdeed, will determine how you navigate the challenges and opportunities of this era,” Kraidy said.
Kraidy outlined practical ways students could embrace renewal during their undergraduate career: mapping out goals while remaining open to change, mastering fundamentals, cultivating curiosity across disciplines, and making the most of the university’s faculty, facilities, and community. More than grades, he stressed, the aim of a Northwestern education is to graduate “as a whole person—with intellectual strength, practical skills, ethical grounding, and a renewed sense of who you are and how you can contribute to the world.”
He also underscored the university’s core values—excellence, community, collaboration, and sustainability—connecting each to the philosophy of renewal. “Renewal is at the heart of sustainability,” he said, adding that the years ahead should be seen as a time for experimentation, exploration, and growth.
As he closed, Kraidy offered both encouragement and challenge: “Be courageous in your renewal. Reinvent yourselves often. Be open to discovery, to growth, to transformation. Embrace change like your future depends on it, because it does.”
The Convocation ceremony capped Wildcat Welcome Week, the university’s orientation program designed to help new students transition into campus life. Earlier in the week, the class took part in the March through the Arch, a Northwestern tradition that symbolizes their formal entry into the university community.
As he closed, Kraidy offered both encouragement and challenge: “Be courageous in your renewal. Reinvent yourselves often. Be open to discovery, to growth, to transformation. Embrace change like your future depends on it, because it does.”
The Convocation ceremony capped Wildcat Welcome Week, the university’s orientation program designed to help new students transition into campus life. Earlier in the week, the class took part in the March through the Arch, a Northwestern tradition that symbolizes their formal entry into the university community.
