Qatari sisters complete undergraduate studies at VCU

By Malorie Burkett

RICHMOND, Va. – Being thousands of miles away from home, their tight-knit family and a familiar culture are just some of the challenges two sisters and natives of Doha, Qatar, faced when they left their country to attend Virginia Commonwealth University.

In spite of the various cultural differences, such as fast-paced roads and lifestyles, the sisters adapted to the changes while retaining their own cultural beliefs, and focused on completing their undergraduate studies at VCU. This month, interior design major Ameera Al Hajari, 24, and marketing major Safiya Al-Hajari, 22, will participate in VCU’s commencement exercises, celebrating the culmination of four years of education at the university.

Before coming the United States for school, Ameera completed her freshman year at the VCU School of the Arts in Qatar.  “One of the main reasons I came to VCU was to meet more interior designers while learning about a different culture,” said Ameera. “I think about the Qatari culture and how I can retain it, yet use my education to modernize it in some way.”

Safiya said she chose to attend VCU to experience life away from home and to obtain an education that could help her develop a plan to give back to her country. “Too many people leave their home countries and never go back, but I plan to use my education to help Qatar’s businesses grow even more,” said Safiya. “I wanted to get a great education in business that would allow me to have a better plan in helping Qatari markets evolve into something bigger.”

This is not the first time the sisters have lived in the United States. In 1983, the Al-Hajari family lived in Phoenix, Ariz. for one year and then relocated to Colombia, S.C., where their father attended graduate school. The family returned to Qatar in 1990 after their father completed his studies.

The sisters are the oldest siblings and have five younger brothers ranging in age from four to 18, all of who attend school in Qatar. Their father is a professor of geology at the University of Qatar and their mother is a homemaker.

“VCU has done so much for me, and the professors have taught me so much and have given me an incredible real-world education,” said Safiya, who is completing an internship with Richmond’s Luck Stone Corporation.

This month, Ameera will receive a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in interior design and plans to return to Qatar to work as an interior designer after graduation. Safiya will participate in commencement exercises, and will immediately complete a final course at VCU, which will fulfill her requirements for a Bachelor of Science in marketing from VCU’s School of Business.