Reflections: Eman Fatima from CMU-Q

Trying to fit my university experience in a single article does not give justice to how much my undergraduate years have transformed me as an individual… but I’ll give it a shot.

When I first entered CMU-Q, I was a shy freshman, nervous about the people I would meet and experiences we would share in the next four years.

Looking back, I had nothing to worry about. At CMU-Q, I’ve been fortunate enough to not only learn from the best in the world, but also to have opportunities to apply what I learned in out-of-the-classroom settings. The experience has not been an easy one, abd it was never meant to be. Over the last few years, I have failed more times than I can remember, but what I do remember is coming back from these failures each time even stronger, learning from my mistakes, and using them as lessons to become an even better version of myself.

At the end of the day, I could never have seen myself becoming the individual that I am today, and, in doing so, it was important for me to be open to any and all opportunities that came my way.

One opportunity that particularly stands out, among many, is my trip to Portugal. My classmate Hasan Naveed and I co-led a service trip as part of Tartans Without Borders. Everything about this trip was dependent on the two of us, from deciding a location and choosing a service project that fills a societal gap, to being entirely responsible for the wellbeing of six other colleagues in a different country.

The planning and execution were nerve-wracking but something I was extremely passionate about, and it ended up being a truly life changing experience. Not only that, the trip led to some of the many long-lasting friendships I have been able to build on in the last few years being formed.

Now, as a recent graduate from CMU-Q, I am no longer that same shy freshman. I am now a bold and confident individual with a global-mindset who is ready to take on the challenges that are bound to come in this next chapter of my life.