Northwestern University in Qatar hosted its inaugural Staff Star Awards, an initiative recognizing the outstanding contributions of its staff members. The awards pay tribute to individuals and teams whose efforts have significantly advanced the university’s mission and values.
The occasion celebrated contributions across key areas, including business support, collaboration, and student services. Awardees were nominated by colleagues, with finalists representing a spectrum of community members. Winners and runners-up included individuals who excelled in areas such as business operations, cross-departmental teamwork, and student engagement, demonstrating the wide-ranging impact of their work on the university community.
Among the recipients were Dragos Onciul, recognized for Outstanding Business Support; Nadeen Abo Mazid, recognized for Outstanding Contribution to NU-Q; Rommel Solicar, who received the Outstanding Collaboration award; and Miriam Khalil, recognized for Outstanding Support to Students. Runners-up in these categories included Caroline Rodrigues, Virginia Naag, Clovis Bergere, Michael McDonough, the Production department, HR department, Ali Kadkhodaei, and Jocelyn Casambros.
“These awards recognize the incredible work of our colleagues, whose efforts make a real difference every day, strengthening our sense of community and affirming the importance of appreciation in building a positive workplace.”
Lorraine Goffe, vice president for human resources and chief human resources officer at Northwestern University, joined Dean Kraidy in congratulating the awardees, saying, “It’s my pleasure to congratulate the nominees and recipients of Northwestern Qatar’s first Staff Star Awards. We know, both from research and personal experience, how important it is to be recognized for the work that we do, and specifically the work we do in support of Northwestern’s mission. There are clear themes that are reflected throughout the nominations: Partnership, commitment, professionalism, excellence, innovation, and going the extra mile. And what is noteworthy is that these themes cross all areas represented by our awardees.”
The awards reflect the university's effort to cultivate a workplace culture that acknowledges and appreciates contributions across various roles. The Human Resources department, which organized the initiative, highlighted the value of recognizing staff achievements. Hannah Balogun, director of Human Resources, said, “These awards recognize the incredible work of our colleagues, whose efforts make a real difference every day, strengthening our sense of community and affirming the importance of appreciation in building a positive workplace.”
Building on its value of community, this initiative and others like it show Northwestern Qatar’s commitment to supporting staff and faculty contributions to the university’s mission.
