KNRTU students took part in the city competition "International Student of the Year - 2025". This project is aimed at supporting initiative-minded, creative and socially active students and popularizing their contribution to the development of the student community.

The competition is implemented by the Committee for Children and Youth Affairs of the city of Kazan in cooperation with the Youth Assembly of the Peoples of Tatarstan. In 2025, more than 20 international students took part in it, 10 of whom reached the finals. As a result, three winners and seven laureates were determined.

KNRTU was represented at the competition by Ainura Yakubova and Rafael Salikhov. The selection took place in the format of an electronic portfolio reflecting the results of educational, social and project activities over the last academic year.

In her portfolio, Ainura Yakubova spoke about her work as the head of the cultural and recreation center of the KNRTU Trade Union Committee and the media center of the House of Graduate Students and Students No. 1. Among the initiatives implemented are the healthy lifestyle festival "Healthy lifestyle-FEST", the KNRTU Propaganda Brigades competition, as well as organizational and informational support for events at Dormitory No. 1.

Rafael Salikhov presented his experience working with international students at Dormitory No. 1, including organizing cultural and international events such as National Unity Day and Navruz, as well as joint projects with the commonwealth of Foreign Students. In addition, he is engaged in scientific activities and is the winner of the federal grant from the Student Startup Foundation for the Promotion of Innovation (6th stage) with the Healthy Mix project.

The award ceremony was held at the Bashir Rameev IT Park. According to the results of the competition, Ainura Yakubova took the third place and became the winner of the city competition "International Student of the Year - 2025", and Rafael Salikhov became one of the laureates, taking the fifth place.

"For me, participating in the competition is an important experience and an opportunity to feel that your work is really appreciated. It is very pleasant to see that the contribution of international students to the life of the university and the city is noticed and supported. The competition has become a strong motivation for me to develop further, implement new projects and continue to actively participate in student life," said Ainura Yakubova.