Kazakh Teen Wins Prestigious Full Scholarship to New York Junior Academy

Eleventh-grade pupil Dilda Yerkebayeva from Kazakhstan’s Balkhash city has earned a highly coveted full scholarship to join the Junior Academy, an elite educational program offered by the New York Academy of Sciences.

Dilda is among only five pupils from Kazakhstan to successfully pass a rigorous international selection process, highlighting her outstanding academic and extracurricular achievements, The Caspian Post informs via Kazakh media.

Known for her strong interest in STEM fields, psychology, and foreign languages, Dilda has actively participated in academic Olympiads, achieved an IELTS score of 6.5, and contributed to her community through volunteer work, including assisting at Steam Fest Balkhash and teaching mathematics at the Inclusive Academy.

The Junior Academy is known for its intense competition, accepting only 5 to 10 percent of applicants, with just a handful receiving full scholarships. Dilda’s fully funded participation will span over a year, during which she will collaborate with an international team on a solar energy research project. The program includes group research, expert mentorship, and concludes with a final project presentation.

This opportunity not only provides Dilda with access to cutting-edge knowledge and skills but also enhances her prospects for university admissions abroad.

In other positive developments for Kazakhstan’s youth in STEM, students recently secured four medals at the European Junior Olympiad in Informatics, reflecting the country’s growing prominence in science and technology education.