Ilyas Smailov

In 2020, Ilyas Smailov from Karaganda became one of the 17 winners of the scholarship competition of the Yessenov Foundation. The guy chose mechanical engineering as his specialty because he knew that there are very few experts in this field in the country today. The choice, according to the master’s student of Karaganda State Technical University, will allow him to build a successful career.

How did you find out about the scholarship?
I knew about it for a long time: my close friends were winners of the program in previous years. When I entered the master’s program, I also set a goal to win a scholarship of the academician.

What did you remember most from the contest?
I remember well how carefully and responsibly I’ve been preparing the application — it was so important for me to win. I spent two whole weeks collecting all the necessary documents. I was glad to learn that I passed the 2nd stage. There were five days between the stages. At that time, my team and I were preparing a large-scale charity event, so I decided to relax as much as possible in order to pass the interview without excessive excitement. When the final interview was going on, I showed all my communication skills, gave evidence that I was a real leader, told about student life and … I was myself.

Why do you think you were among the winners?
It was difficult to become a winner, more than 500 students from all over Kazakhstan fought for it, but only 17 won. I was among them because I was taught to win by my parents and university mentors — Nazym Alpysbaeva and Rustam Buzyakov. They taught me how to overcome difficulties. I advise all future applicants to prepare for an open and conscious conversation about themselves and about the things they like to do. The more open you are, the greater your chances of winning.

What, if it’s not a secret, do you spend the scholarship you won?
I try to save most of it to a deposit account — I collect money for the realization of my dream. The rest I spend on education: I learn to drive a car and study English.

What did you do this summer?
The summer turned out to be productive. We developed volunteer and educational projects with the team, in July I had a vacation with friends in Turkey.

What are your plans for the next year?
I am currently working on a dissertation with my supervisor: I need to conduct a number of tests and publish several articles in scientific journals. There are also several events planned for the youth of the region. In October, we will launch free educational courses for students in such disciplines as materials resistance, mechanics, higher mathematics, English and Kazakh. And in December we plan to hold a forum of volunteers of the Karaganda region.

What interests you the most?
Personal development. I try to develop and grow every day. I have been actively engaged in volunteering for three years now. When the pandemic began, we delivered food and personal protective equipment to WWII veterans, the elderly, and low-income families. The government even awarded me the medal “Halyk algysy”.

What is your favorite place in Karaganda?
For me, the most favorite place is the Central Park. I like to walk there and observe the beauty and uniqueness of our city, happy people walking after work and laughing children.