Malika Igibayeva

Malika Igibayeva has completed bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Gumilyov Eurasian National University in Astana. She herself hails from Pavlodar. In 2021, as a first-year graduate student of the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering, the student won the competition of the Yessenov Foundation scholarship program and aspires to become a professional in the field of media and art, in which the scholarship partly helped her by financing her art projects.

How did you choose this particular specialty?
As long as I can remember, I have always been a creative child, I loved to draw and create something new. In the 10th grade, when the choice of a future specialty arose, I put together my key skills and strengths: creative and spatial thinking, an artist’s hand and a love of geometry. So I chose my specialty.

Why did you manage to win the Foundation’s scholarship competition?
I learned about the Shakhmardan Yessenov scholarship six months before the start of the competition. After studying the terms, the values and the mission of the foundation, I realized that they are close to me. I decided to try myself as a candidate. Since childhood, I participated in various projects, implemented my own, was active in social life. And most importantly, I have always had the idea of creating something bigger so that our country could be at the forefront of the development of technologies and meanings. My field at the intersection of art and technology was unusual for a competition in which almost all previous winners specialized in exact and natural sciences. However, this is what made me stand out from competitors and, I think, was one of the reasons why the representatives of the foundation choose me as a winner of the scholarship competition.

What can you advise others in order to participate and win?
First of all, it is worth discarding all thoughts and doubts, believing in yourself as much as possible and without hesitation telling the commission about your virtues and positive qualities. Do not hesitate, because if you have leadership qualities, work for the benefit of society, and are burning with the idea of a better future, you should not be silent about it. After all, perhaps it is these thoughts of yours that will conquer the competition commission. The most important thing is not to be afraid to try, because it is impossible to win without submitting an application.

Has the Shakhmardan Yessenov scholarship helped you in any way?
Most of all, it supported me morally, I appreciated the faith in me and the support from the foundation. It was difficult to realize that I was the worthy one among many. Thanks to the victory, I believed in myself even more, and I invested the scholarship in the development of my projects. Thus it turned out that the foundation seemed to sponsor my ideas.

What are your interests besides architecture?
Most of all, I am passionate about my projects: the creation of training courses in 2D and 3D, the promotion of art through exhibitions, installations, the creation of computer and mobile games, comics and animations. All my hobbies are closely connected with each other, as well as with my professional activity. Therefore, I get the feeling that I am working while having fun and vice versa. In addition, I am also an improviser musician and occasionally hold concerts, create music in real time in front of the audience.

What are you planning to do in the next 2-3 years?
I would like to become one of the recognized professionals in the field of media and art, hold several solo exhibitions, successfully develop my project “SHU” and bring it to the international level, as well as create such courses that would be useful even for professional artists.

What are your most vivid childhood memories?
Oddly enough, I don’t remember traveling abroad, school, or any lavish events, but how we celebrated the New Year with our family. For me, this magical holiday has always had a special significance. Especially when my parents, under the glitter of fireworks, opened the gifts that I prepared for them with trepidation, saving money for a whole year at school lunches.