“Student of the Year 2026”: How seven languages and a love of learning led Jamilya Rahmatshoyeva to victory

Jamila Rahmatshoyeva, a fourth-year student at the Faculty of Finance and Economics of the International University of Tourism and Entrepreneurship, has been named Student of the Year 2026 in Tajikistan. She speaks seven languages and teaches young people financial literacy and English. Jamila was born in Dushanbe into a family of educators. She says that as a schoolgirl she dreamed of becoming a doctor, but a book on finance and economics changed her path. Over time she realized that she wanted to work specifically in the field of developing the country’s economy. “I didn’t believe I would win until the very last moment” Jamila says she entered the Student of the Year competition at the suggestion of the university administration. According to her, the competition took place in two stages — an oral exam and a presentation of achievements.

According to Asia-Plus’s interviewee, the jury members asked participants questions about their field of study, laws on youth that had been passed, and books they had read. Participants presented their achievements and plans for the future in three languages — Tajik, Russian and English. She noted that the jury paid particular attention to students’ language skills. “ “First they asked me to speak in Russian. During my presentation they suggested switching to English, and then to Turkish. That way I presented all of my activities over my years of study in the seven languages I speak,” she said. Jamila says she did not believe until the very last moment that she would be announced as the winner. She had been hoping her name would be called among the runners-up. “ “When they were announcing the first-place winner, I was already getting ready to leave the hall — I had lost hope of winning. But at that moment my name was called as…