Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar students work with special needs children at HopeQatar

What grew out of this idea was a program called "It's Not That Simple." Designed specifically for a small group of students, "It's Not That Simple" is both interactive and reflective. The overarching goal is for students to think about their lives and why they do what they do.

"The program required that we find an organization that was a good fit for our program," says Jarrod Mock, Student Development Coordinator at Carnegie Mellon Qatar.

"We intentionally sought an organization that would put our students among people who live a drastically different life than their own. At the suggestion of ROTA, we connected with HopeQatar, a center for educating children with special needs. The children they serve range in age from 5 to 21. They have 15 students, the majority of whom have autism."

Once the program was set up, interested students were asked to complete applications to identify their interests. A panel of staff reviewed six applications and the top four students were chosen. They were Mohammed Abu Zeinab (Tepper 2009), Fatima Al Rumaihi (Tepper 2009), Khaled Ziyaeen (Tepper 2011) and Hind Al Khulaifi (Tepper 2011).

"When I was in high school I had other opportunities to deal with children with similar challenges and I enjoyed it," says Hind Al Khulaifi, a freshman business administration major at Carnegie Mellon Qatar who took part in the program. "When I entered college I thought this program was a great chance to revisit what I did in high school. I love kids and to be able to deal with kids that have challenges gives you a special feeling. It's kind of unexplainable."

The program began in February with a team meeting briefing the students on the program for the semester. Then weekly visits to HopeQatar began. The visits, which lasted about one hour, gave students opportunities to interact with the children in a variety of different ways. They taught them basic computer skills, made paper kites, created artwork and even went on a scavenger hunt at Family Food Center.

"The center was an entirely different world,' says Al Khulaifi. "The kids were mostly Indian so there were cultural differences. And since the place is small it doesn't have a lot of funding. But the kids were so happy to see us. You could tell is was the best part of their day."

After each visit, the four students would engage in the reflective portion of the program. This entailed a group discussion that included questions such as: "For the HopeQatar students, what is their purpose in life? What about you, what's your purpose? Is it really that simple?" The students were also given a journal at the beginning of the program and were encouraged to write down their thoughts during the visits and team reflection times.

"The Carnegie Mellon education is so rigorous that students usually don't take time to sit for an hour and think about their lives and reflect on their future," says Mock. "This program not only gave students an opportunity to work with people who are much different from them, it also opened up the door to self reflection and the realization that not everyone has the opportunities that you do."

Al Khulaifi says the discussions were very beneficial. Although she worked with special needs kids in high school, she never had the opportunity to engage with her peers and talk about the experience. "Sitting around with other students reinforced what I believed in. We talked about a lot of things and realized that a lot of questions remain unanswered," she says.

The program concluded in April with the Celebration Night where the team of students gave presentations on their experience. They, along with HopeQatar, were recognized for their participation and commitment to the program.