Doha, Qatar: Northwestern University in Qatar welcomed the Class of 2030 at its 19th Convocation ceremony, formally inducting its newest students into the Northwestern community and marking the start of their undergraduate journey.
In his address to the incoming class, Dean and CEO Marwan M. Kraidy focused on basira, an Arabic word associated with insight, vision, and discernment.
“Basira is often translated as ‘insight,’ but it means much more than that,” Kraidy said. “It is intellectual clarity, moral discernment, and the wisdom to recognise deeper truths beneath the surface. It is seeing not only with the eyes, but also with the mind, the character, and the heart.”
Building on his message of tajdeed, or renewal, to the Class of 2029, Kraidy told students that basira was especially important at a time when artificial intelligence, technology, and the rapid circulation of information are changing how people understand and engage with the world.
He described three dimensions of basira, imagination, integrity, and wisdom, and urged students to see their education as more than the accumulation of knowledge.
Kraidy also spoke about the responsibility that comes with working in journalism, communication, media, and other fields where technology increasingly shapes how information is created and consumed. Facts, evidence, context, and empathy, he said, remain essential.
Northwestern University Provost Erik Luijten, who assumed the role on July 1, 2026, joined Kraidy in welcoming the incoming class.
Luijten noted that despite having spent more than 17 years at Northwestern, he and the students shared the experience of starting something new.
Much of Luijten’s advice centred on curiosity. He encouraged students to keep asking questions, seek help when they need it, and resist the fear of making mistakes.
Offering the student perspective, Northwestern Qatar Student Government President Timaa Kamar, Class of 2027, reflected on how her own understanding of university life had changed since she first arrived at NU-Q.
Kamar said she entered Northwestern focused on the projects she wanted to complete, the opportunities she hoped to pursue, and the goals she wanted to achieve. As she begins her final year, she said the experiences and relationships formed along the way have become just as important.
