I got into NIS in 7th grade. 3rd place out of 1,500 applicants. From 8th grade I started competing in geography olympiads. At the regional network olympiad among all NIS students across Kazakhstan, I placed 2nd. Then I traveled to Kapchagai for the first Republican Field Geology Olympiad. 200 students from 16 cities, grades 9–11, competing across paleontology, mineralogy, petrography, field routes, and safety techniques. No textbooks, just terrain and instinct. Outside the classroom I kept finding ways to contribute. I volunteered 75 hours with New Wave Eco Club, including a trip to a forest belt in Shymkent where we collected waste alongside community members for hours. In Student Council I ran the school’s Instagram account as SMM Minister. I also joined the Kazakh Wikipedia Club, edited over 100 articles, and built 3 from scratch. In MUN I competed at NISIMUN and earned Best Delegate. After 10th grade I made a deliberate decision to transfer to Abay School Lyceum, a private school. I wanted a different environment, more room to build things outside the curriculum, and more ownership over how I spent my time. That decision shaped everything that came after. #NIS #Kazakhstan #Olympiad #Volunteer #Agartu #KAEF