In July 26, 2007, the Board of Trustees of the Yerzhan Tatishev Foundation approved the list of finalists for the Educational Grants Program. The smartest, brightest, most talented and ambitious young people from families with lower income got grants to gain Bachelor’s degree in Finance and Economics in the most prestigious Universities of the country.

The Yerzhan Tatishev Foundation announced about beginning of the Educational Grants Program at the end of January, 2007. The Foundation admitted school and college graduate’s applications, who were interested to participate in the grant contest, till May, 2007. School and college graduates from all over Kazakhstan and other CIS countries applied to the Educational Grants Program. As a result of the first selection stage based on the applications submitted review, the Foundation staff short listed 23 semifinalists for next stage of competitive selection.

The second stage was held on July 5-6, 2007 in Almaty. The aim of the second selective stage was to determine leadership potential of the applicants and their personal characteristics. By using interactive methods such as role plays, situation tasks, individual and group tests and tasks there were identified winners of the second stage. The aim of the approaches used was to reconstruct conditions for the participants where they could be able to demonstrate their best psychological features and leadership potential.

After two selection rounds the Board of the Yerzhan Tatishev Foundation approved the final list of the winners. The grant holders of the Yerzhan Tatishev Foundation are:

	AKHMEDZHANOV ZHALEL Zhalel is 17 years old. He graduated Kazakh-Turkish lyceum in Karaganda with a Gold Medal – “Altyn Belgi”. Zhalel was the captain of school’s debate team and plays debates in English. His Turkish is also fluent. Zhalel plays sports and writes academic papers on applied mathematics. Zhalel is the person with strong leadership skills and was recognized by the other contestants in the course of the second stage as a leader. He has good abilities to make decisions in difficult situations. He is has a focus, can listen and hear, self organized and can involve others. Zhalel won grant of the Yerzhan Tatishev Foundation Educational Grant Program to study in the International Schools of Economics.
	BELKHODZHAYEV NURSULTAN Nursultan is a goal oriented person. He started working in early age to help his mother. He began his carrier as a distributor of free newspapers in the micro districts and since age of 15 has been working in the «National Business» magazine. He started as a courier in the magazine and now he is a coordinator of courier service and administrator of database. As the magazine he works in is about business, Nursultan became interested in economic and business, studies of analytical sources stimulated him to write his first articles. Nursultan dreams to have economic education and become a business-analyst in his magazine. Nursultan won grant of the Yerzhan Tatishev Foundation to study in KIMEP
	BUTINA SABINA Sabina lives in village Almalybak of Almaty region. She graduated school with the Gold Medal – “Altyn Belgi”. She possesses strong abilities to make decisions based on reasonable identification of problem situations and has perfect presentational skills (the brightest presentations in creative tasks which require performing skills), creative features and good teamwork skills. Sabina won educational grant of the Yerzhan Tatishev Foundation to study in the University of International Business.
	DAVLIDOVA AMINA Amina graduated school in Almaty with the Gold Medal – “Altyn Belgi”. She is fond of music, swimming and participates in volunteer movement. Amina is active and has good oral skills, creative with outstanding leadership and team work skills. Amina always achieves assigned tasks and the first was to finish the school with the Gold Medal. She successfully accomplished it. Now her aim is to become a highly qualified specialist, and her first step to it is – enrolment to KIMEP through victory in Educational Grants Program of the Yerzhan Tatishev Foundation.
	ZHUSUPOV RASHID Rashid is from Temirtau city of Karaganda region. He is very active, hard working person with strong leadership and communicational skills. Rashid has won FLEX school exchange scholarship and studied in Hawaii (USA) for a year. He is very creative. Rashid quickly found friends with the mates – participants of the second stage, and was well rated by other contest participants (he was top listed leaders by number of voices were given by other participants). Rashid got a grant of the Yerzhan Tatishev Foundation to study in the University of International Business.