The first competition in the new academic year held by the Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation, a charitable foundation established by businessman and philanthropist Galimzhan Yessenov, has concluded.
94 talented young Kazakhstanis competed for 10 grants of up to 600,000 tenge each for additional education. These grants are awarded through the Foundation’s Yessenov Launch Pad (YLP) Program. Meet the 10 winners who will make a significant leap in their personal and professional development over the next year.
Zhasulan Toleubek, 27, is from Taldykorgan. He currently studies Anatomical Pathology in a residency program at Nazarbayev University’s School of Medicine.
“I plan to complete a course to become a machine learning engineer at Skillbox,” says Zhasulan.
Another winner, Dinara Askar, shares.
“I’m 22. I’m from Almaty, and currently study Life Sciences at Nazarbayev University. With the grant I received, I plan to take a course through Yandex Practicum and specialize in data analytics.”
Diana Kurmangali, 26, works at the Republican Collection of Microorganisms LLP in Astana, specializing in molecular biotechnology and biomedicine. Therefore, it is no surprise that she will most likely use the Yessenov Foundation grant to take courses in bioinformatics.
“I was born in Aktobe and currently work as a researcher at the National Oncology Center in Astana. My main area of interest is biomedical engineering. I’d like to take the Healthcare Data Analytics Toolkit course offered by the MGH Institute of Health Professions, one of the leading medical institutions in the United States" Banu Seitzhaparova
Banu, 27, is a graduate of KazNMU and a pharmacist. She is a past winner of the Yessenov Foundation’s Research Internships Program. With the grant she received in 2018, she worked at one of Europe’s leading laboratories in Lublin, Poland.
The next YLP 2025 winner is Miras Beisbai. Originally from Semey, he is a 21-year-old undergraduate student in Computer Science.
“The courses that, I hope, will significantly enhance my expertise in my chosen field include machine learning and generative computer vision from DeepSchool, Hard ML from karpov.courses, and LLM Driven Development from Otus. But, as they say, these are just my wishes. Which of them I’ll actually be able to complete is still uncertain. But something will definitely work out,” Miras states confidently.
Sagynysh Sovet is just 20 years old. Born in Kokshetau, she currently studies at Satbayev University in Almaty. Like Miras, this Kazakhstani girl is focusing on computer science. Therefore, her top priority for additional education with the Yessenov Foundation grant is Python development (back-end and front-end).
“I’d also like to use the Yessenov Launch Pad grant to prepare for and take the IELTS exam,” Sagynysh shares with us.
Telzhan Myrzabekov, 28, a research associate, works at Auezov South Kazakhstan University in Shymkent.
“I am a senior lecturer at the Department of Mathematics. I believe the Foundation’s grant will help me complete an assessment center course from SHL Kazakhstan. The course will evaluate my management and leadership competencies and help me develop communication, teamwork, and adaptability skills. This is especially relevant in teaching and research. Many foreign foundations and universities also require competency verification, including through assessment programs. This will also help me better understand my strengths and weaknesses and identify opportunities for growth, which is important for professional development,” says Telzhan.
Another researcher among the winners of the Yessenov Launch Pad competition is Asmina Barkhandinova from Almaty.
“I’m 24 and currently work at QazCode, a Kazakhstani IT company specializing in developing solutions using AI, gamification, and automation for businesses. I plan to use the grant funds to complete an advanced online course in computer vision from DeepSchool. Upon completion, I will have a strong command of modern computer vision methods, working with PyTorch and OpenCV, neural network architectures, and the principles of building CV systems,” Asmina shares.
Kurmet Danebek, 23, a master’s student at Nagasaki University in Japan, is also among the YLP winners. Our compatriot specializes in Disaster and Radiation Medical Science. His dream is to take the Healthcare Management Certification Course offered by the University Medical Center and Kazakhstan Association of Healthcare Managers. This additional education will provide Kurmet with the knowledge and skills to manage medical organizations, with the curriculum covering planning, finance, quality, and leadership.
Meet the tenth winner of this year’s Yessenov Launch Pad. Yermakhan Kurban, 23, originally from Turkistan region, currently studies Physics at Gumilyov Eurasian National University.
“I’m a master’s student. I’d like to learn Python programming which is why I became interested in Harvard University’s course ‘CS50's Introduction to Programming with Python’. Another area of interest for me is quantum computing, so I’ve added ‘UChicagoX: Introduction to Quantum Computing for Everyone’ course developed by the University of Chicago to my wish list. If possible, it would be great to prepare for and take the IELTS exam as well,” says Kurban.
Let’s wish all the winners of the Yessenov Launch Pad competition success in their personal and professional growth.
The Yessenov Launch Pad Program was launched in 2022 at the initiative of Galimzhan Yessenov, businessman and philanthropist, and founder of the Shakhmardan Yessenov Foundation. The Program awards up to 10 grants to the winners of its competition, each worth up to 600,000 tenge, for additional education to develop their soft or hard skills.
