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AzerNEWS Staff

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Nijat Tagizade, a graduate of the European Azerbaijan School (EAS) and a high-achieving student of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Programme, has been admitted to Stanford University in the United States. With an IB Diploma score of 43/45, Nijat will pursue a degree in Data Science at Stanford.

The achievement marks the launch of the EAS Scholarship Programme for Leading Universities, an initiative established by European Azerbaijan School founder Tale Heydarov to support high-achieving graduates of the school in pursuing studies at the world's leading universities.

Under this initiative, the school will cover the full cost of Nijat's tuition at Stanford. In addition to financial support, the programme offers selected students mentorship throughout their university studies, as well as ongoing engagement opportunities through the EAS alumni network.

Nijat Tagizade studied at EAS for 12 years, starting from pre-school age, during which time he took part in international olympiads, science, robotics, and leadership projects alongside his academic achievements. According to him, his years at the school played an important role not only in building academic knowledge but also in developing leadership skills, open-mindedness, and the ability to work in teams, while the IB Diploma Programme helped him both in the Stanford admissions process and in adapting to a demanding academic environment. His academic record also includes a score of 1530 on the SAT and 8.0 on the IELTS.

Nijat's achievements extend well beyond his IB results. He has won silver medals at competitions such as VILIPO, iWise, and the BUCE IMSEF Mathematics competition, reached the semi-final of the National Informatics Olympiad, and won two gold medals at the World Scholar's Cup. Through the "Tomorrow's Scientists" competition, he secured a place at the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), where he won the Grand Award, making him only the second participant from Azerbaijan in the competition's history to receive this honour. He has also served as captain of Azerbaijan's FIRST Global robotics team, founded the "React Right" initiative focused on support technologies for natural disasters, participated in summer programmes at Stanford and Boston universities, and presented his research on wildfire risk forecasting at an international conference.

His father, Dayanat Taghizade, noted that this achievement reflects both Nijat's personal hard work and the environment fostered by the school, adding that the family worked closely with the school throughout the admissions process. Nijat, for his part, said that his parents' financial and emotional support played an important role along the way.

Gulzar Abbasbayli, Mathematics Teacher and Olympiad Coordinator at EAS, noted that Nijat had been consistently preparing for projects, research, and Olympiads, and that the school’s continuous support had played a significant role in this process.

The school's University Admissions Counseling Service also played an important part in Nijat's admission to Stanford. University Counselor Gulnar Guliyeva said that his interest in data technologies had been evident since his school years, and that Stanford provides the right environment for developing this interest further, adding that she takes great pride in his success.

EAS Chief Executive Officer Francesco Banchini said that Nijat's achievement is a great source of pride for the entire school community.

"Nijat is one of EAS's highest-achieving students, and we are immensely proud to see him begin this new chapter of his education at Stanford University," said Francesco Banchini.

According to him, the Scholarship Programme established by the school is intended as a long-term support mechanism to help high-achieving students realize their ambitions of studying at the world's leading universities.

This success story demonstrates the significance of the European Azerbaijan School's commitment to educational support and its Scholarship Programme for leading universities. The school's high academic standards, ongoing mentorship, and the professional approach of its University Admissions Counseling Service enable high-achieving graduates to realize their ambitions of studying at the world's top universities. This initiative reflects not only individual success stories but also the long-term contribution of investment in quality education in Azerbaijan, laying the groundwork for more talented young people to achieve similar accomplishments in the future.