Hanof Ahmed
At Qatar Foundation (QF), a university education doesn’t necessarily mean sacrificing what someone is passionate about. Hanof Ahmed, who yesterday graduated from QF’s partner university Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q), has pursued her dream profession and equally developed her passion for art.
Ahmed said that she always wanted a career in medicine; as a high school student she started a ‘Doctors of Tomorrow’ club in her school. She attended medical conferences as an observer and even visited various hospital departments to see first-hand, what a typical day in a physician’s life was like. And, she also excelled in art, and was a first-rate basketball player.
So, when it came to choosing a major for university, she applied to two universities in QF that “couldn’t have been further apart in terms of what they offered – Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar and Virginia Commonwealth University of the Arts in Qatar.”
Ahmed recalls the dilemma she faced. But she had made up her mind on one thing: she would choose medicine as a career only if she could continue art and sport alongside it.
“One of the questions I asked the members of the selection board was if I would be able to continue painting or start something pioneering such as an art club in medical school. I asked this question expecting an answer that it would be difficult to do so. So, when they said that I could study medicine and still continue doing what I love – art – it was an ecstatic moment for me,” said Ahmed.
She said that contrary to her concerns, her six years as a medical student in QF’s Education City, offered her opportunities which she never thought would be feasible, given the common misconception that studying to be a doctor doesn’t leave much time for extra-curricular activities.
“The atmosphere at QF is dynamic,” said Ahmed. “Due to the presence of so many different universities in the same campus, you’re constantly exposed to art, music and sport irrespective of what you’re studying. For instance, I’m a medical student studying at WCM-Q, when I go to the cafeteria I meet a student from Virginia Commonwealth University of the Arts in Qatar, which is walking distance from WCM-Q. And I get news about various art and sport initiatives within Education City.”
Ahmed hosted exhibitions of her paintings at the EC Student Centre (Multaqa). But having experienced first-hand, the stress-relieving effects of art, she wanted to share the same experience with her peers. She pioneered an art club in WCM-Q, and invited students and faculty to drop in for painting sessions and she said, the feedback of those who attended the art workshops she held, were “amazing.”
“I had friends and professors approach me, saying that painting workshops I hosted had a therapeutic effect; that art helped them calm down and focus, and re-channel their thoughts,” Ahmed said.
“This feedback was motivating; knowing that I could share what I have, to reach out to people and actually make a difference in someone’s life provided me with so much personal satisfaction,” she added.
Meanwhile, in between juggling her art and studies, Ahmed managed to find time to play basketball. Though she started out with her own personal fitness goals in mind, she progressed so much that she was selected as part of the QF All Stars basketball team to take part in the International Sports Festival held in Greece in February of 2019.
Again, just as she invited those around her to try art, Ahmed persuaded her peers to try basketball. And again, with success: students from various cohorts at university took up the game due to her encouragement.
Now, looking back on six years of studying medicine, conducting art workshops and offering basketball tips to teammates, Ahmed said that her time at QF is proof of the need for students to find a balance between academics and extra-curricular activities and of QF’s ability to nurture talent by providing students resources that they can avail of, to maximise their inherent aptitude.
