Valera Notes

A much-deserved retreat for the Freshman team. Got 15 or so Freshman staff together at a dacha for the weekend. Super hyped for Makhachev-Garry tomorrow. Do join the Freshman team. I heard it’s fun.

How about independencemaxxing: financial, intellectual, psychological.

Startup fundraising is the easier part. Generating sustainable revenue is way harder. The latter is truly worth celebrating.

📢 Hipsters, workaholics, and everyone in between: we're hiring! Freshman Academy is hiring for two leadership roles: Operations Director and Marketing Director. We’re scaling across the Central Asia and these two roles sit at the center of that growth. 🎯 Operations Director You'll own day-to-day operations, manage departments, and drive strategic decisions across the company. We're looking for at least 3 years running business operations, ideally with international company experience in Uzbekistan. ✍️ Marketing Director We need someone who will lead our marketing strategy, digs into the data, and drives how we grow across Central Asia. Looking for someone with several years running marketing campaigns for education companies or products and services. Both roles are full-time, based in Tashkent. 📩 Send your CV to shakhzod@freshman.academy 💬 Or message us directly on Telegram: @kodirovshakhzod @freshmanblog

Speed. Speed. Speed. Don’t let perfectionism slow down execution.

“Valera, I am a student too. I am defending a PhD in gold weaving.” Baxshillo Djumaev, 70, sixth-generation Bukhara artisan

Any social scientist knows that many traditions, paradoxically, are deeply modern inventions.

🍽 Dinner with SAT & AP Mentors If you are an SAT or AP mentor based in Tashkent, join a free dinner hosted by Valera (Freshman founder) and Shohruh (Freshman SAT Director). We will discuss the latest SAT trends, academic preparedness for admissions, and the prevention of SAT leaks. This is your chance to exchange educational perspectives, discuss challenges within the SAT community, and connect with other leaders. Interested in joining? Register now. Our team will then reach out to confirm your participation and send more details. ❗️Registration deadline: August 12, 2026 (midday) @satfreshman

Using AI to write your university application is the surest way to ruin it.

When educators, not marketers, run education in Uzbekistan, we will see genuine progress.

📍meeting with Freshman Academy parents at CANA School

Back in Tashkent. Hosting Freshman’s first-ever parent event at Cana School. And then will start getting back to everyone.

Happy birthday to the city where I truly grew up, to the city that gave me opportunities I could only dream of! Majulah Singapura 🇸🇬

in my cool uncle era

Yandex Ilkhom Theater Freshman Higher School of Economics Loud. Progressive. Bold. Young. Perhaps that’s why we often cross paths and gravitate towards one other.

De-normalize SAT cheating

True friends always cheer for your wins. You can notice this immediately in how their eyes light up. They know your wins are theirs. And vice versa.

Introducing our official Freshman Research Institute logo. The vision of the Freshman Research Institute is to be a center for knowledge and new ideas across all disciplines motivated to solve real-world problems. That is why our logo depicts the arts, sciences, and humanities. We are excited to continue growing the Institute as we bring in more young researchers across Central Asia and the world while working with mentors from various emerging sectors. Here's a quote from the philosopher Karl Popper that best expresses our vision: "We are not students of some subject matter, but students of problems. And problems may cut right across the boundaries of any discipline.” For the Freshman Research Institute the sky, nay, the stars, are the limit. - Nigel Li, Director of the Freshman Research Institute @freshmanresearch