This has been an eventful year in Qatar and, for the graduating Class of 2026 at the Swiss International School, Qatar (SISQ), an unusual and at times uncertain journey. At the beginning of the year, Mrs Gillard, the school’s IBDP Coordinator, reminded students that the Diploma Programme was a marathon, not a sprint. Few could have anticipated just how unusual that race would become, with its temporary return to lockdown education, regional political tensions, and all-round uncertainty. 

When the traditional examination route then changed abruptly, students had to dig deep and show resilience, patience and maturity in navigating an unusual ending to their IB journey. Even following their recent Graduation Ceremony, a celebration of all they have achieved and overcome, students still await the next milestone with understandable nervous anticipation, knowing that upcoming IB Diploma results will help determine the routes that may soon take them across the globe.

SISQ’s Class of 2026 anticipates matriculating to universities across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Qatar and the GCC, Europe, North America, Asia and Australasia. Destinations include institutions such as King’s College London, the University of Warwick, the University of Bath, Carnegie Mellon University Qatar, Georgetown University in Qatar, Weill Cornell Medicine Qatar, the Technical University of Munich, the University of Toronto, the University of New South Wales, the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and many more. Students will pursue an impressive range of disciplines, including Medicine, Engineering, Computer Science, Business, Politics, Theatre and Performance, Psychology, Law and International Relations.

Reflecting on the journey of the graduating class in her valedictory address, Sarah Ali reminded her peers that “the last two years were about far more than grades, university offers, or academic success. They mattered because of who we became along the way”, a sentiment that captures the resilience and growth that have characterised this cohort. 

Now, as these students prepare for the next stage of their educational journey, SISQ extends its warmest congratulations to the graduating Class of 2026, now proud members of the SISQ alumni community. The school celebrates all they have achieved and looks forward to the positive contributions they will make in universities, professions and communities around the world.