Aaliya Savira: Charting a path in finance and innovation

For Aaliya Savira, the journey through Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar has been one of profound self-discovery and embracing diverse opportunities. Graduating with a degree in Business Administration, a concentration in finance and a minor in information systems, Aaliya reflects on how CMU-Q shaped her path. 

“I would say my journey at CMU has been about self-discovery,” she notes, explaining how experimenting with different courses helped her pinpoint her passion at the intersection of finance and technology.

Aaliya’s academic curiosity led her to explore Islamic finance early on and later to collaborate on award-winning research comparing the performance of Sharia-compliant versus conventional firms during the pandemic. This work earned accolades at CMU-Q’s Meeting of the Minds symposium, and the Qatar Finance and Business Academy’s National Finance Researcher Award. 

“I feel like in my degree, I learned more than just academics,” she said. “One of the most important skills that I’ve learned is how to use a critical mindset to apply and leverage all of the AI tools that are continuously developing.”

Aaliya was also drawn to innovation with a humanitarian purpose. She served as an executive member for the student-led organization Lifelines, which hosts workshops, lectures, and hackathons to foster innovative solutions for humanitarian challenges. 

Lifelines was the type of deeply rewarding CMU-Q experience that Aaliya hopes younger students will also embrace. “I would say, explore your options as much as you can,” Aaliya advises. “Experiment with different opportunities, and don’t be scared to make the first move.”