Graduates of Qatar Foundation universities are closely connected to Education City even after they graduate and begin their professional careers.Over the past two decades, QF graduated more than 10,000 students that are putting their acquired skills and talents to use in their respective industries around the world, working for world-class organisations, starting their own businesses, engaging with their community, or continuing their lifelong learning journey through further studies.As QF hosts its Annual Alumni Forum, three of its past graduates reflect on how it helped shape their academic and professional paths.If Qatar Foundation’s ecosystem of education was purely focused on providing academic courses, graduation would represent the point at which the relationship between its students and the organisation ends. But it goes much further.For every student at Qatar Foundation (QF), Education City provides a holistic, life changing educational and personal experience that creates lasting bonds, as three of its graduates explain ahead of QF’s Annual Alumni Forum, which takes place on Saturday, May 11, at Multaqa (Education City Student Center).Mohamed Khalifa al-Naimi, a graduate of QF partner university HEC Paris in Qatar and co-founder and managing director of the Green Energy Water Treatment Company, highlights the resources that QF devotes to scientific research and honing its students’ cognitive, personal and communication skills. “This makes a graduate’s life easier and also prepares them to face challenges in a dynamic workforce market, in completing postgraduate studies, or in exploring entrepreneurship,” he says.“What a student at QF can learn, alongside their academic path, is how to cultivate in themselves a culture of self-improvement and renewed ambition, and recognise that only by leaving their comfort zone they will achieve their goals. And for many years, QF has been committed to nurturing these qualities within its students.”Al-Naimi explains that QF constantly provides opportunities for students to expand the horizons of their skills and knowledge and make connections with the community of learning around them. “It also supports our decision-making skills, giving us the tools to accelerate positive change,” he says.After his educational path that led him to both the UK and the US, al-Naimi decided to change his academic path from engineering to business administration, and chose to return to Qatar. “I felt a strong sense of belonging toward QF, which I believe is a transformative environment,” he said.“It has invested extensively in efforts to transfer knowledge to Qatar by embracing prestigious international universities, and by attracting the brightest minds who illuminate the educational paths of young people of different nationalities, it has an impact on the dynamism of the society and economy of Qatar and the region.“If it had not been for the support I received from QF, I would not have been able to develop my project in the field of water treatment, and it has also made me a productive member of society. QF supports students not only academically, but also in a social, cultural and sporting context, and its entities are ready to provide support to those who have projects in the field of entrepreneurship and the establishment of emerging companies.And his message to QF’s newest graduates is: “Education and learning should not be a page that is turned after graduation, because academic and professional interests have no ceiling.”Malak Elmoh, a graduate of QF partner university Georgetown University in Qatar (GU-Q), is now responsible for student development at the same university where she once studied. “Being a QF student allows you to obtain a world-class education, but also an opportunity to participate in many different student activities, which nurtures social and communication skills that develop you academically, professionally, and personally,” she says.“The nature of the student community in Education City, with students of 100nationalities from different continents, really enriches the environment youlearn and interact with. The QF community is an integrated one, so you canlearn and take lectures and programmes in various ways.”And Elmoh, who also holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from QF’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University, adds: “Some people see Education City as being just a place filled with universities, without recognising that it is actually a fully-fledged city full of opportunities, activities, and events, from sports to arts and culture.“When you experience Education City for yourself, you will love it. It’s a place that you rarely, if ever, find anywhere else in the world, and it has become my second home. Entering it is like an immersive experience, and it quickly becomes your bridge to advancement and cognitive and professional maturity.”Khemara Chhorn is also a GU-Q graduate, and now Co-ordinator at Cultural Diplomacy Department at Qatar Museums. She explains that building networks is vital for anyone entering the labour market, in Qatar or elsewhere, and says: “Students and graduates should always invest in communication as much as possible.“Based on my experience, the best way of doing this is through expanding your network of knowledge and making sure to attend conferences, forums, and workshops featuring experts and academics who have deep knowledge of the dynamics of the labour market and investment opportunities. I was always keen to attend such events and listen to these figures, talk to them, and share my professional interests with them”.“It is no coincidence that my keenness aligned with the way Qatar Foundation regularly hosts a series of conferences and forums that address various topics, most of which respond to the aspirations and passions of many graduates.”What distinguishes QF’s educational ecosystem, according to Chhorn, is that it not only offers robust academic curricula and programmes that build students’ skills and knowledge, but also builds students’ leadership skills. “This is particularly through the way it enables communication between students, graduates, and academics from throughout QF,” she says, “and the way in which, at QF, there is the opportunity for sharing information and ideas that can open promising horizons for every graduate looking to enter the workforce market or entrepreneurship.”All graduates of QF’s schools and universities are invited to attend the Annual Alumni Forum on 11 May.To learn more and register, please visit www.alumniforum.iregister.qa