Aizhamal Sydykova: "AUCA prepared me academically and socially for a year abroad"

June 24, 2015

As a participant of the Global UGRAD program, Aizhamal Sydykova, ICP-113, spent her academic year 2014-2015 at the Otero Junior College in La Junta, Colorado, U.S. She tells us about that year abroad, an internship she had at an energy company, and how she participated in the event in support of kids with cancer.

“I was really upset after I failed two times in a row to enroll into the FLEX program when I was in high school. But my good fortune came back in 2014, when I was in college and was accepted to the Global UGRAD program. This program covers all the expenses. I found out that dreams ACTUALLY come true. You have to experience it yourself to understand how it feels like.

I moved to Colorado and it became my second home for 9 months. Colorado is a unique state for me with a mountainous and eco-friendly environment. It reminded me of Kyrgyzstan a lot and this is maybe why I was not feeling very homesick. There, I studied in a community college and lived in the dorm. The classes were very easy. It gave me a chance to do more extracurricular activities. I was always into Latin dances, so I spent many hours learning different moves and loved it. I was also actively involved in community service, volunteering for different organizations. That was another very remarkable experience. Somehow, I also got involved with Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) for a while, but had to quit. It was an interesting experience and I plan to continue it in the future.

One of the requirements of the program is the internship. I chose Southeast Energy Cooperation, and during the process I got interested in renewable energy. It was challenging and I had to step out of my comfort zone, but at the end I gained a valuable experience.

Probably the most life changing experience so far was my involvement in the event of a St. Baldrick’s Foundation. My friends, some professors and I shaved our heads to support kids with cancer. One of my friends raised about $300 and some others donated their hair to make wigs. I wish more ordinary Kyrgyzstani would be supportive of cancer patients.

Many things happened while I was in the U.S. I won’t include them all, but I want to conclude by saying that my first year at AUCA prepared me academically and socially for a year abroad. Soon, I am going to change my major from international and comparative politics to economics. During my internship at the energy company, I was dealing with different financial assignments and learned how important it is to be knowledgeable in finance.

For those who are applying to UGRAD I would advise to do everything possible to be noticed among hundreds of applicants. The only way they can do this is with an extraordinary CV (resume) full of real experiences, and a creative and unique essay.

For the second round - the interview - just think of it as a conversation with old buddies. Do not try to be who you are not.

And the last round - the TOEFL - it is really up to the applicant. Preparing for TOEFL is a technical stuff. It is easy to grasp.

I had several useful experiences from UGRAD. 90% of them are involving soft skills and 10% technical skills. Number one lesson, which I learned, is to love people, not necessarily only family and friends. This creates common circle with many more people, which is always amazing.”

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