Governor General Award
2025 Governor General Award Recipient
Juan Giannitti, Digital Media and Information Technology ’25
Juan Giannitti, DMIT ‘25, is this year’s recipient of the Governor General’s Academic Medal at NAIT.
An international student from Argentina, Giannitti moved to Edmonton two years ago to pursue his dream of working in animation. This month, he will graduate with more than 2,600 students as part of NAIT's class of 2025, trained and prepared to work in his chosen field.
“I don’t want it to end,” Giannitti says. “I don’t recall a day where I didn’t want to go.”
As a mature student, Giannitti’s journey was decades in the making. He knew from an early age that art was his calling.
“I was always fascinated by the creative process ever since building my first LEGO® set. I like building something out of nothing.”
But the opportunity to pursue a hands-on, polytechnic education in a creative field eluded him. After initially studying industrial design in the early 2000s, he became a self-taught 3D artist by getting a student copy of the software and learning from videos and tutorials. There were no post-secondary programs in animation in Argentina at the time.
“I always felt something was missing, because I never had an appropriate education. When I had a chance to study abroad, I seriously considered the program at NAIT.”
It was a big leap. His family joined him on his journey. And support from his wife and three daughters pushed him to succeed even more.
“I’m not here only to seek a better education, but to [find] a better future for them.”
At NAIT, Giannitti honed the diverse skillset that industry needs—software knowledge, client relations, writing, reports, interdisciplinary collaboration, and much more. It was through persistent practice, and support from his classmates and instructors, that prepared him to take on real-world challenges.
This May, Giannitti was part of a group of 17 students who developed an interactive digital twin of NAIT’s Centre of Advanced Medical Simulation (CAMS). The group recreated the 6,000-square foot space in 3D and rendered more than 200 medical items, allowing CAMS to run virtual simulations online. It was the largest capstone project in the program to date. (Learn more about the project on techlifetoday).
For Giannitti, the sky is now the limit. He would like to make Canada his permanent home. Through his connections at NAIT’s Mawji Centre, he is exploring the option of opening his own studio specializing in architectural animation and modeling.
About the Governor General’s Academic Medal
The Governor General’s Academic Medal was first awarded in 1873 by the Earl of Dufferin and has since become one of the most prestigious awards that a student in a Canadian educational institution can receive. The Governor General of Canada continues this tradition of encouraging scholarship across the nation and recognizing outstanding students.
Notable past recipients include prime ministers Kim Campbell and Pierre Trudeau, premiers Robert Bourassa, Tommy Douglas and Robert Stanfield, and author Gabrielle Roy.
The Collegiate Bronze medal is awarded to the student who achieves the highest overall average upon graduation from a diploma level, post-secondary program