Texas Kazakh Student Forum Connects Students With Career Advice and Community
Kazakh students seek career footholds in America through mentorship at the Texas Kazakh Student Forum.
Students gather at the University of Houston on October 4 for the Texas Kazakh Student Forum. The Texas Qazaq Foundation brought together around 100 students from across the state.
Summary: Around 100 Kazakh students gathered at the University of Houston for the Texas Qazaq Foundation’s student forum. Professionals shared advice on internships, career choices and building trust, while organizers outlined hopes for an ongoing mentorship network.
Alina Akhmetova, a guest speaker and mentor, shares how an unexpected conversation at a university career fair led her into consulting. She encouraged students to explore opportunities beyond their initial career plans.
Alina Akhmetova went to a University of Houston career fair hoping to work in the oil industry. While waiting to speak with an oil company, she approached a small consulting firm nearby. A conversation about its work prompted her to offer her résumé—and opened a career path she had not considered.
Akhmetova, who said she had spent 15 years in consulting, shared that experience while encouraging students at the Texas Kazakh Student Forum to explore unfamiliar opportunities.
“Don’t be afraid to talk to any company,” she said in Russian.
Organized by the Texas Qazaq Foundation, the October 4 forum brought around 100 Kazakh students to the University of Houston Student Center South for career discussions, mentoring and opportunities to meet peers from across Texas.
Students attended from institutions including the University of Houston, Houston Community College, North American University, Trinity University, The University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University.
Alash Mendybayev, the foundation’s executive director, said TQF had noticed that many Kazakh students in the United States lacked access to professional networks, experienced mentors and guidance on building careers. The forum aimed to connect them with professionals and strengthen community support.
For Alash Mendybayev, executive director of the foundation, connecting students with experienced professionals is part of a larger goal: building a community that supports their careers.
“Success is not only about personal achievements, but also about supporting one another and giving back to the community,” he said.
Speakers and mentors represented fields including finance, oil and gas, computer science, artificial intelligence, engineering and sales. Students asked about finding internships, preparing applications and choosing career paths. Discussions also covered Curricular Practical Training (CPT) and Optional Practical Training (OPT), including application timing and eligible employment.
Elzhan Konakbayev, assistant controller at Spark Energy who previously worked at EY, PwC and Deloitte, urged international students to broaden their internship searches. He recommended applying through LinkedIn and other platforms, networking and, when appropriate, introducing themselves directly to companies.
“You need to use every method available to find those opportunities,” he said.
Exchange continued around smaller tables, where students spoke directly with mentors, including Spark Energy assistant controller Elzhan Konakbayev, center.
Akhmetova encouraged students to consider employers of different sizes. Smaller firms, she said, can offer opportunities to develop a niche and work closely with colleagues, managers and clients. She also recommended attending university career fairs and joining professional and community organizations.
Maxat Imangazinov, heavy duty senior sales manager at Valvoline Global Operations, distinguished simply knowing someone from developing a professional relationship built on trust.
Maxat Imangazinov, right, a senior sales manager at Valvoline Global Operations, emphasized the trust behind lasting professional relationships.
“It’s not just about connections. It’s about building reliable connections,” he said.
During lunch and breaks, students introduced themselves to peers from other universities and spoke directly with professionals about their career interests. The foundation’s recap described mentors sitting with students to answer questions and share their experiences in more personal conversations.
For Sultan Toresh, an economics student at the University of Houston, the forum was his first TQF event during his first year in Houston. He said he had not expected so many students from across Texas and welcomed the chance to make connections that could lead to career opportunities and mutual support.
Toresh was particularly interested in the challenges speakers had faced as students and while starting careers and businesses in the United States.
“We were especially interested in hearing about the obstacles they had to overcome and how they dealt with difficult situations throughout their careers,” he said.
Alongside career conversations, a dombra performance brought a musical connection to Kazakhstan as audience members recorded the moment.
The event concluded with a Kahoot quiz about Kazakhstan’s history, with winners receiving foundation merchandise, including tote bags and mugs.
TQF hopes to develop a network of Kazakh students and professionals across the United States through future mentoring opportunities, networking events and educational programs, Mendybayev said.
“We see this forum as the beginning of a long-term initiative, not just a one-time event.”
