Awarded October 2, 2021
2021 Young Alumni Award

As a Beloit undergraduate, studying international relations and focusing on human rights, Javid Ahmad stood out as a scholar. His focus, intellect, and a commitment to doing meaningful work, especially to advance his native country of Afghanistan, signaled that he was someone to watch.

One of his mentors, Manger Professor of International Relations Beth Dougherty recalls, “He had a very clear focus and knew what he wanted to do. He wrote his senior thesis on U.S. aid to Pakistan, and it seemed pretty clear that he was going to be a major policy analyst.”

After interning in Afghanistan’s embassy in Washington, D.C., and at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, he went directly from Beloit to work for the German Marshall Fund of the United States. He enrolled at Yale University, where he completed a master’s degree in global affairs, focusing on security and counterterrorism.

He has served as a policy advisor to Afghanistan’s minister of finance and advised the U.S. military and civilians on security issues in Afghanistan through the Modern War Institute at West Point. He continues to serve as a non-resident senior fellow for the influential Atlantic Council think tank.

In 2020, he became Afghanistan’s ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, one of only seven Beloiters to rise to this level in the foreign service.

Throughout his rapid advancement, Javid has remained committed to a goal he articulated back in 2011 in the Beloit College Magazine: “I understand it is a long shot to get Afghanistan back on track, but I will certainly contribute my work to the process.”

As his native country faces unprecedented challenges, we are heartened that he remains focused on the well-being of the Afghan people, as he helps to further an understanding of the complex issues impacting them.

The Beloit College Alumni Association is proud to call Javid Ahmad a Beloiter and to recognize his significant achievements with the 2021 Young Alumni Award.