The best and brightest graduating students from College of the North Atlantic – Qatar (CNA-Q) were honoured at the Oryx GTL President’s Medal for Academic Excellence gala held recently in Doha. 
The ceremony saw the distribution of medals to 27 students who received the highest marks in their individual programmes. Of those honoured, 19 students achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
CNA-Q president Dr Khalifa bin Nasser al-Khalifa said, “These students can be justifiably proud of their achievements. They have worked hard and are now ready to move forward in the next stage of their lives with confidence, whether it be further education or into the workforce. The education that our students received during their time at CNA-Q has been rooted in 
applied, experiential learning. 
“No doubt the highly-qualified and technically competent young men and women you see before you today are the future leaders of 
Qatar!”
In addition to the President’s Medals, Oryx GTL presented four Distinguished Graduate Awards to one student from each from the College’s academic schools – Business Studies, Engineering Technology, Health Sciences and Information Technology. The students were nominated by their dean for achieving  exemplary academic standing and commitment to campus life, extracurricular activities and 
volunteerism.
The President’s Medal for Academic Excellence has been awarded since CNA-Q’s inception, and became a gala event five years ago when Oryx GTL became the official sponsor, according to a press 
statement.
The sponsorship forms part of the company’s corporate social responsibility programme, which is aimed at promoting and celebrating excellence in education. Corporate partnerships have been a mainstay at CNA-Q since 2002 with a large percentage of students sponsored by local industry partners and 
ministries.
Mohamed al-Enazi, chief administrative officer at Oryx GTL, was the guest speaker at the event. “It is your responsibility to contribute to society by reinvesting the extraordinary skills and talents, which we are here to celebrate today. Not only will this make a positive contribution to your workplace, but it will also strengthen the unity and success of the wider community. Oryx GTL is honoured to be associated with this initiative, and we hope to leave a real and lasting academic and intellectual legacy for future generations - in keeping with the vision and goals of our country’s wise leaders,” 
he said.
The President’s Medal recipients and Distinguished Graduates will join their fellow students for the 15th CNA-Q graduation ceremony, to be held on June 20 at Qatar National Convention Centre. The graduation, to be held under the patronage of HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani, will be the largest in the college’s history with 559 graduates, the statement adds.
CNA-Q is Qatar’s premier technical college, offering nearly 30 diploma programmes in Business Studies, Engineering Technology, Health Sciences and Information Technology. Since opening in 2002, more than 6,000 graduates have entered the labour market - contributing to a knowledge-based economy and making the achievement of the Qatar National Vision 2030 a reality.