Anna Seraya

Anya is 23, she is a future specialist in the field of transport from Ust-Kamenogorsk. The young woman is studying for her Master’s Degree of the School of Engineering of the East Kazakhstan State Technical University. In 2019, she won a competition involving more than 300 participants from all over the country and won a scholarship of Academic Shakhmardan Yessenov, which is annually presented by the Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation.

Anna studied under the international programs at educational institutions in Poland and Germany, completed an internship at the assembly plant of Skoda, Lada and Kia of JSC Asia Auto. She has a solid seven grade in IELTS, good knowledge of three more languages, she has repeatedly won other scholarships. Full of strength and energy, the young woman, of course, plans to move ahead.

What is our outlook for the future, when you are through with your Master’s Degree?
It’s hard to say right away. I know one thing – I’m not going to apply for doctoral candidacy. I have the feeling that I have been studying for a lifetime (laughs). Therefore, I plan to get a job at a new automotive plant, which is currently at the final stage of construction in our city. I think I will certainly find my place there.

Why engineering?
Interesting it is that it was my father’s idea after all – and thank him for that. So, contrary to widespread view, I was convinced that when choosing a profession, you can listen to your family: they know your strengths and weaknesses, sometimes even better than you. In general, I like working with equipment and programs – I am very comfortable with knowing what I can expect, and all my mistakes are always visible, so I can immediately begin to put things right.

Why do you think you have won a scholarship of Academic Yessenov?
It was difficult. Because there was no clear algorithm for passing the shortlisting. In other words, it was impossible to understand in advance whether I passed or not, because it was not a test or a task. I can’t say for sure what helped me win, but I know for sure that throughout the shortlisting process I remained calm, not nervous and not worried, I was natural. I think this helped.

What are your interests?
Reading, music, and, perhaps, learning languages. The latter has become my hobby not so long ago. Apart from English, I am interested in other languages. In the summer I will take TestDaf for the first time (this is an international test of German), now I have started learning Spanish. It is very interesting. I studied violin in a music school, but, for some reason, I like playing the piano more. I still play a few hours a week, unfortunately, I have not much time for that. I play for my relatives, but it is not very often – I have hypercritics (laughs).