Alua Maulen: "I owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone at AUCA"

September 1, 2015

Alua Maulen, a graduate of AUCA’s Master’s program in Business Administration (2014), shares the story of her career path after graduation and memories of her student years.

"I started my career path when I was still student, as an assistant designing clothes. Afterwards, I took a position as the Administrator and Art Manager at a restaurant in Bishkek. During this formative time, it had always been my goal to one day put all my business skills to use by opening my own business. Given both the practical and life experiences I gained through these early roles, I decided that it was time to embark on a journey that would help me realize my aspiration.

My first step was applying to AUCA and getting accepted into the MBA program. Although it was a daunting step forward, it proved to be one of the most productive. Along the way at AUCA, I have made many friends who are now my co-workers. For example, Alina Alymkulova and Daniel Abdyldaev, both of whom are graduates of AUCA, are my partners in a current business endeavor. We own and manage a business that aims to assist Central Asian citizens immigrate to the US via the authorized US Government EB5 investor migration visas. This is an exciting program that sees many people receive early entry to the US through the working visa and the permanent residency visa programs.

My AUCA education gave me more than just information. Through its invaluable life lessons, I gained the self confidence and desire to achieve more than I had originally thought possible. Of course, I also met many like-minded students who are now forging their own careers in many different businesses across the Kyrgyz Republic. Without this education I could never have become a business partner at a western investment house like East Star Capital.

I had decided that my destiny was in my own hands, and I needed to do something that would give my business career a jump-start. After a lot of research, it was clear the best thing I could do for my business career was an MBA from AUCA. The business savvy and life-skills I accrued at AUCA transformed into my current business helping people change their lives as dramatically as I did, only now through the US EB5 visa.

The MBA program was the logical choice for me, because it gave me the most comprehensive coverage over the aspects of business I would need to develop a business going forward. The hardest part about studying at the AUCA MBA program was, as one might expect, the studying. Learning how to learn. Although it took some initial work, the ability to learn has repeatedly done me enormous good. Through our group tasks, I learned to delegate responsibilities between each member—one of the most underestimated skills in life. More hands are always better if you know how to work together. The second hardest skill to master was time management; I was juggling a family and work commitments. That being said, it was because of my husband’s and family’s support that after many sleepless nights I successfully completed the program.

I always hesitate to give people advice because each person might have a different reason for wanting education, but two things stand out for me:

• There is no irrelevant subject. Take notes and take it all in. It always happens that those subject you think are useless WILL BE useful to you.
• Business is not just about knowledge (although knowledge is probably the most important). It is about finding a job, growing within your company, and succeeding. AUCA provides a great platform for this.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone at AUCA including Administration, Student Services, and Maintenance. Each of these staffs has helped me along with their quality service. They work hard to ensure that our education remains the highest caliber in the country."

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