<aside> ✨ If you’d like to connect with Gulnazik, you can find her on Iscicle @ gulnazikbakhramova9581
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Gulnazik is an incoming undergrad at Columbia University, where she intends to study international relations. Prior to transferring to Columbia, she attended the College of San Mateo as an international student from Kyrgyzstan where she studied social science. Here’s her take on getting funding for your education, her nontraditional route, and more:
Can you tell me a bit about your journey to the U.S. an international student from Kyrgyzstan?
My journey wasn’t very straightforward. I first came to the U.S. as an exchange student on a state dept. scholarship program - it was very competitive and I applied to it for 3 years and only got in on the last try! I spent a year in the U.S. on FLEX and was hosted by a volunteer family in the Bay Area, CA. I then took a gap year to figure out how to apply as an international student and how to afford it. I had no clue what to do and very limited resources. It was at that time that my host family suggested I enroll in community college, and kindly allowed me to stay with them during this time.
You mentioned needing to figure out the financial part studying in the U.S. - how did that go and what tips do you have for students who may be concerned about how to fund their study abroad journey?
Studying as an international student in the U.S. was so much more expensive than studying in the country that I’m from - even in community college. As someone from a large family, I knew my parents wouldn’t be able to afford an education abroad, so it was up to me. My host family actually encouraged me to fundraise for my education, and showed me that fundraising is a normal thing you can do in the U.S. Culturally, I wasn’t used to asking others for monetary support, but I had so many amazing follow up conversations, people shared scholarship opportunities and were just overall so supportive. They taught me this phrase “pay it forward” - people didn’t want me to pay them back, but to do the same for others who are in my shoes one day. I’d really recommend you go out of your comfort zone if you need to, and to think of ways to fund your education, like fundraising.
Can you speak a bit about choosing community college and what that experience was like for you?
I actually knew some students, including my host sister and peers from my exchange year, who were going to College of San Mateo, so I decided to go there. I really had an amazing experience as a community college student. I came to learn that there’s a stigma amongst local students when it comes to going to community college, but I felt that there wasn’t this stigma with international students. We came from such different backgrounds that we were just so happy, and felt so lucky, to be attending higher education in general.
Your nonprofit, Kel Chai Ich, is absolutely incredible. What inspired you to begin this work?
Kel Chai Ich is inspired by my own journey: how it was culturally challenging for me to even consider myself to be a university student as a female from a small town in Kyrgyzstan. While I was never discouraged from it, I was always convinced that I didn’t need education - that it was a waste of time and resources to allow a woman to study. As a young female in Kyrgyzstan it was just so hard, culturally, to consider university as an option. That’s where Kel Chai Ich comes in. Our goal is to help young women in Kyrgyzstan apply abroad, and we just piloted our first school thanks to a grant from the State Dept!
Lastly, what advice do you have for fellow or future international students?
Choose your own path, and don’t let all the outside sources influence your decisions. We see so many traditional journeys and so often compare ourselves. We see people apply to Ivy Leagues or prestigious schools and we let that influence our decisions as international students. Instead, choose your own path and recognize that it doesn’t have to be a straight journey, rather allow it to be a curve of experiences. Consider smaller schools, different states, and so on. Don’t be afraid to be different from others, and build your own path for yourself. Be unique. Be nontraditional. Choose what fits YOU.
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