Qatar Foundation’s Academic Bridge Program (ABP) celebrated their 14th graduation ceremony at the Qatar National Convention Center (QNCC) on Sunday. One hundred and ninety four students crossed the stage and received their certificates in front of dedicated ABP faculty members and hundreds of proud parents.
The class of 2015 brings the total number of ABP graduates to more than 2,500 since the programme’s inception in 2001. Qataris make up approximately 75 percent of this year’s students, while the remaining members come from 27 different countries.
More than 40 percent of this year’s graduating class has been accepted to one of more of Hamad Bin Khalifa University’s (HBKU) partner institutions. In total, about 90 percent of ABP graduates will have gained admissions to English language universities in Qatar, the United Kingdom, and elsewhere.
After the procession of students and faculty into the theatre at QNCC, the Qatari national anthem was played followed by a recitation of the Holy Quran by ABP student AbdulrahmanSaleh Janahi. Dr Bryan K Lewallen, Director of the ABP, gave his comments on the class of 2015, followed by a welcome speech from the class salutatorian, Qatari student Nawal Faisal Aqueel, who is ranked second in the class, academically. President of the Student Association, Wadad Al Jassim gave her reflections on the past year.
The keynote speech was given by Dr Bothina Al Mulla, who graduated from the ABP in 2004. She went on to earn a Doctor of Medicine degree from Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar and a Master in Health Management in Strategic Management and Leadership from City University of London.
The 2015 Valedictorian was Haya Khalid Al Thani from Qatar, who was the highest academically ranked student in the class.There were also two students recognized for having perfect attendance this year: Esra El Mughrbi and Haya Khalid Al Thani.
Since its establishment 20 years ago, Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) has had an unwavering commitment to nurture a knowledge-based economy in Qatar and to realise the goal of “unlocking human potential.”
To reach this goal, QF offers a complete educational cycle that promotes a culture of inquiry and critical thinking and that encourages students to become active members of their communities. In line with this mission, the ABP delivers an important link in the complete educational progression provided, by facilitating the transition from high school to university. While students coming up through the many Qatar Foundation high schools have a strong academic base that allows them to successfully enrol in one of the high-quality HBKU partner institutions, some students benefit from an additional year of development. Those candidates, and others from independent and private high schools in Qatar, find the setting at the ABP to augment their abilities and increase their success at the next level.
The consistent success of the ABP and its graduates may be attributed to the ABP’s holistic, hands-on approach to teaching and learning. For the past 14 years, the ABP has not only developed the academic curriculum, but has also built on its student activities through the promotion of leadership, social, recreational and sporting events. In that time, ABP developed a Learning Resource Center (LRC) for tutoring students in math, science, computers and English language skills. The ABP also organizes several training courses in IELTS, SAT and ACT, and created “The English Room” to help students enhance their English language skills.
Students who perform well at the ABP and meet the relevant criteria canbypass the foundation year that most students are required to take to enroll in UK universities and directly enter into the first year of undergraduate programmes. In addition, students interested in joining certain universities in Qatar, North America, and Europe may be given credit for courses they completed at the ABP. The Peninsula
