Twelve Texas A&M students, including Student Body President Jack Hildebrand, took the 28-hour flight to Qatar to attend the official naming of Michael Kemp as Dean of the Qatar campus last March. In a panel discussion Tuesday afternoon, Hildebrand said he and the other students traveled halfway around the globe not only to congratulate the new dean, but also to spread the Aggie spirit and its traditions.
“Most of the students who went took a lot of time out of their day to share what they love about A&M and the Aggie spirit.” Hildebrand said. “They were really excited about being Aggies.”
The trip, which lasted seven days, was funded by the Qatar Foundation, an organization aimed at bringing the world’s leading universities to Qatar
Teresa Perez, a senior electrical engineering major said she was surprised at how deep the Aggie spirit ran in the Qatar students.
“The Aggie spirit is just as strong (there) as it is in College Station.” Perez said. “A Muster was even held here last April. They are all proud to be Aggies.”
Some of the students, such as Tiffany Johnson, a junior mechanical engineering major, found they had more in common with the Qatar students than they expected.
“Western culture is everywhere. We definitely have more similarities with these students than differences.” Johnson said. “Our academic goals and worries are exactly the same.”
Despite the many similarities between the Texas and Qatar students, there were also many differences, most students citing the differences of treatment on the basis of gender in a predominately Muslim society. But senior English major Narietha Carter thinks that the students’ March visit and other similar visits help to open minds on the gender issue.
“We are trying to etch away and close some of the boundaries between ladies and gentlemen without pushing our cultural beliefs,” Carter said. “Cultural differences can be tough, but the A&M culture is not specific to College Station. It is prominent everywhere around the globe.”