Looking Beyond Textbooks: New QF Students Urged To Feel The Value Of Giving Back

Doha, Qatar: Community service is no longer just an extracurricular activity – it's a cornerstone of education and personal growth. It shapes global citizens, showing that true learning comes not just from textbooks alone, but from building trust, working alongside communities, and cultivating collaboration, empathy, leadership, and cultural awareness.

At Qatar Foundation's (QF) Marhaba event – the traditional welcome to its new students at the start of the academic year – the latest arrivals to Education City learned about the importance of stepping out of their comfort zones and seizing service-learning opportunities – from local outreach initiatives to international projects – to help tackle real-world challenges and drive meaningful, positive change.

A senior at Northwestern University in Qatar, a QF partner university, Juyoung Kim spoke to more than 800 new students who attended the event at Multaqa (Education City Student Center), telling the story of her service trips to Laos and Nepal.

In Laos, Kim helped build an eco-dorm for students who once had to walk long distances just to attend school. The new facility allowed them to live nearby and focus on their education. In Nepal, she contributed to a sustainable project that provided clean energy for a family living in the mountains.

“It's about being part of something – something bigger than yourself,” she said.“It's about connection, empathy, and understanding. These trips taught me to approach every community with humility, respect, I learned how to work with people – not just for them. And the value of every small act of kindness and collaboration.”

Her advice for students is:“Step outside your comfort zone, be willing to learn, to contribute, and to grow. These opportunities may feel intimidating at first, but trust me, they will be the most meaningful experiences that you will have – not just as a student but as the global citizens you will all very proudly grow into.

“In the end, what you gain from giving your time, energy, and heart to communities is something no textbook can teach you – you gain perspective, you gain connection, and you gain purpose. So, if the chance comes up, say yes. Trust the journey, and let yourself be challenged.”

Amani Benamor, from QF partner university Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), also spoke at Marhaba, saying that when she first began her journey at Education City last year, she believed – like many new students – that university, and especially medicine, was only about achieving good grades, sitting exams, and ultimately earning a degree.

“However, the further I've gone into my journey, the more I ask the question: 'shouldn't we, as active global citizens, be more than just a number on a transcript?'” she said.“And shouldn't life – the center of all disciplines taught at QF – be more than just memorizing facts and checking off boxes?

“In Education City, learning goes far beyond the classroom. From volunteering, research, or even extracurriculars, real growth happens when we apply what we've learned in the classroom to real-world challenges. QF is not just a place to study. It is a place to learn how to grow, and how to help.

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