Last week, Nasuh Mahruki (MAN/92) received the Bilkent University Distinguished Service Award during a meeting organized by DOST Kulübü and Bilkent'liyiz Alumni Magazine. He was presented a gold medallion by Ali Doğramacı for his contributions as a Bilkent graduate to search and rescue operations in Turkey and abroad.

Nasuh, who is the founder of AKUT and one of the publishers of DOST, the first outdoor magazine in Turkey, is also the first Turk to climb Mount Everest. When Nasuh was asked about his leadership skills, he responded that taking the initiative is a quality he gained in Bilkent University through his management studies and his involvement in DOST outdoor activities. His experience is that in order to succeed, one first forms desires, sets goals, and proceeds to realize them systematically, taking reasonable risks in the process. Nasuh said that he does things for the sake of learning and gaining new experience. Nasuh is planning to climb K2, a 8611-meter mountain in Asia, the summit of which only 164 people have succeeded in reaching due to the perils involved in the climb.