I got judged by some people just because I chose higher education. Just because they think "uni is a scam", but they never attended a university to say this. I have seen some people claiming that uni is a waste of time, but literally having admission services that will encourage middle schoolers in their future applications to their dream university.

For me, the idea that going to university is a waste of time is short-sighted and misinformed. Sure, a university degree doesn't guarantee career success – that's true. But university provides so much more than just job prospects.

I find it pretty funny when people criticize us for studying at uni, saying we're just wasting 4 years and thousands of dollars. Yet these same people want their kids to be taught by teachers with PhDs. The hypocrisy is real.

I get that university can be tough and even lead to bouts of depression (I'm still there!). But for me, it is completely worth it. The knowledge, critical thinking skills, and personal growth I'm gaining are invaluable, both for my career and in life. In the future, when my children ask me about something, I won't have to say 'I don't know, honey' or simply refer them to Google.

Rather than looking to external sources to validate your views, I think it's best to consider your own experiences and make your own informed decision about the value of higher ed. At the end of the day, it's a highly personal choice, and people shouldn't be judged for the path they choose.

Thank you!

@withmohinur

Growing up, I always had a strong desire for education. Witnessing girls around me getting married at a young age made me feel ungrateful for being born female. However, my parents were different. They valued my education and encouraged me to study. I started school at the age of six and graduated before I even turned 17.

At twelve, I began learning English. However, choosing a career path was challenging. My family also had a restrictive mindset towards girls' ambitions, and we also had the "you are a girl, know your limits" mindset in our family. I had a strong desire to study at IELTS Zone, inspired by a friend studying there. Unfortunately, my parents disapproved because I was a girl. Nevertheless, I continued my studies, and the American dream started to take hold of me.

Eventually, I received an acceptance letter from UA and informed my parents about the scholarship offer, but considering the financial constraints of many families in Uzbekistan, investing such a significant sum in my education was a challenge. Despite their reservations, I expressed my intention to apply for EYUF (explained what EYUF is as well). They reluctantly agreed, although deep down, they remained skeptical about my chances of winning.

I went through the rigorous selection process of EYUF, passing the initial steps and making it to the interview stage, which took place on May 24, just one day before my school graduation. Graduating with a gold medal didn't matter much to me; all I awaited were the results of EYUF or the possibility of studying at WIUT. However, EYUF didn't announce the results until I received a call from an unknown number on July 14th. On July 15th, I discovered that I had emerged as a winner. I had won El-Yurt, the opportunity I had been hoping for. It was the day I realized that my American dream was turning into a reality.

Even after winning EYUF, convincing my father to let me go to the US remained a challenge. He still preferred that I study at WIUT. Finally, with the efforts of my mother, she managed to persuade him to agree to my aspirations of studying in the US.

It has been a long journey, and now, I'm about to finish my freshman year within a week. The American dream and winning El-Yurt are no longer just dreams. I share this story because I receive messages from girls facing similar challenges almost every day. Girls, I've been in your shoes. Just because your parents may not initially support your dreams doesn't mean you can't achieve them. If it's meant to be, no one can take away your destiny. Never stop pursuing your dreams.

With love, Mohinur✨

@withmohinur

The article I found on UAlibraries made me shocked. Kinda.

@withmohinur

Anyone living in Indonesia, please reach out to me: @imkhnr

Global Youth Festival Uzbekistan 2024

There is a planned event called the "Global Youth Festival" scheduled to take place in Uzbekistan around June 30th, 2024, which is the National Day of Uzbekistan Youth.

The event is expected to have over 1,000 participants as well as around a hundred leaders, celebrities, and public figures. The festival will take place in several cities across Uzbekistan including Samarkand, Tashkent, Bukhara, Jizzakh, and Khorezm.

It will be a large-scale event celebrating Uzbekistan's youth, and I would recommend that interested parties register for the festival through the website referenced:

https://gyf2024.uz.

@withmohinur

EYUF, "El-yurt umidi" foundation has recently announced that they are going to open the 1st contest for 2024.

I think the reason the contest for this year was delayed for like two months would be that EYUF is now working with the Presidential Administration of Uzbekistan, who knows.

Whether the contest begins or not, I just wanted to share some tips and advice as a finalist of El-yurt since I haven't really shared anything related to it so far.

Firstly, for those who don't really have an idea of what the El-yurt umidi foundation is, I would recommend checking the website, eyuf.uz (it works a bit slower, but you can get authentic information about the organization), plus the Telegram channel @elyurtumidifoundation

So, for the first documentation process, I found it pretty easy last year, since they only require you to complete and submit around 6 documents.

If you make your papers in good quality, you are going to easily pass the first, documentation section. Plus, you will write an essay in the Uzbek language, describing the exact reasons why you are going to study in that country, or more broadly, why at that University/college. Then you need to explain why you are applying for EYUF - I mean, they know that you are applying for it because you will study for free, or you can get your visa easily, or even you will work at some high-position jobs here in Uzbekistan, but you need to be specific, clearly explain what you can bring from that country to develop Uzbekistan. Is it really worth investing more than $200,000 just for your education instead of giving that money to some remote villages to reconstruct their schools, or build kindergartens or even to help children with serious illnesses?

If you pass the documentation process (it will be announced on the official social media websites of El-yurt itself), there will be a TEST as the second step. Last year, when I applied, we were given 20 questions from Uzbek language and philology, some logical questions, then 15 and 15 from IQ and Analytical thinking.
I myself got 74/100, probably the highest score in my own field of journalism, by preparing only for the IQ part with this book.

Then, the final and most difficult part, the Interview. An Interview with 10-14 officials of Uzbekistan who work at, for example, top universities of Uzbekistan, ministers and etc. The interview was more difficult than I expected, I was given like two questions about Journalism which I had really no idea about, and missed, and thought I would lose the contest, but didn't. Try to learn more about Uzbekistan's history, especially the history of the place you live - for example, I was given a bunch of questions about writers in Fergana and Kokand Khanate, plus they wanted me to describe Uzbekistan in English for like a minute. I would personally recommend learning about the Jadids as well, because technically what El-yurt is doing now is the continuation of what the Jadids started.
Next, learn more about your own field of study, university, professors at your university. Try to be persistent in your own choices and keep the eye-contact well.

Lastly, do not believe/try to use people who are trying to sell their courses for EYUF preparation, but ask for help from the stipend winners, leaving my account here: @imkhnr, if you have any questions, try to reach out to EYUF officials directly, and lastly this free program run by Asadbek aka for EYUF preparation can also help you: @eyufapply

Best of luck, everyone!

@withmohinur

Taking a class on the Religion of Islam in my second semester, I got to know about an amazing person whose writings and lectures we were required to study - Edward Said. My Moroccan professor gave us several assignments related to Said's books and research, and my final paper (Islam and The West) was about his book "Covering Islam," which provided thoughtful information about our religion: how the media and journalists determine and how we see the rest.
Said worked at Columbia University for around 40 years as a Palestinian professor. He is renowned worldwide for his book "Orientalism," which is probably one of the best books I've encountered and leaving the pdf attached here. In this paper, his postcolonial theory focuses on the impact of European colonialism on the lives of colonized people, and how this is reflected in Western literature and philosophy.
He questions why the West views Islam and the Middle East as the primitive "other." What’s interesting to me is that despite not being Muslim himself, but rather an agnostic according to my research on Google, Said's insights on these topics are so valuable.
One of my favorite lectures of his is the YouTube video called "Clash of Civilizations," which provides broader information about the Israel-Palestine conflict, genocide, and other important geopolitical issues.

@withmohinur