May Masterclass on Getting into the Top ...
AmCham news
May Masterclass on Getting into the Top 10 US Universities
On May 24, 2026, an exclusive in-person masterclass titled “Harvard Admissions in Baku: A Masterclass on Getting into the Top 10 US Universities” was organized for AmCham members, with the support of Crimson Education and upon the initiative of the AmCham Education & Vocational Working Group.
Guest Speaker of the event was Mr. Benito Rodriguez, Harvard University alumnus and former Harvard Admissions Interviewer.
The event commenced with opening remarks by Ms. Leyla Isgenderova, Deputy Chairperson of the AmCham Education & Vocational Working Group, who warmly welcomed participants and highlighted the importance of expanding international educational opportunities for Azerbaijani students. The session was followed by a welcome speech from Ms. Yevgeniya Aliyeva, Academic Advisor at Crimson Education, who emphasized Crimson Education’s commitment to guiding students through the highly competitive admissions processes of the world’s leading universities.
The keynote session was continued by Mr. Benito Rodriguez, who shared valuable insights into how top US universities assess international applicants and discussed the latest trends shaping today’s admissions landscape. His presentation covered a wide range of topics, including building strong academic and extracurricular profiles, avoiding common application mistakes, and developing competitive applications for institutions such as Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, and other top-ranked universities.
The masterclass brought together high school students, parents, school counselors, and individuals interested in pursuing undergraduate studies in the United States, providing attendees with practical guidance and insider perspectives on admissions to top-tier US universities.
The event concluded with an engaging interactive discussion and Q&A session, during which participants had the opportunity to directly engage with the speaker on topics including admissions interviews, scholarship opportunities, extracurricular involvement, essay writing, application strategies, and long-term academic planning. The discussion encouraged active participation and offered attendees valuable practical insights into successfully navigating the admissions processes of leading global institutions.
The masterclass concluded with closing remarks delivered by Ms. Leyla Isgenderova and Ms. Yevgeniya Aliyeva, who thanked the participants for their active engagement and emphasized the importance of continuing to support Azerbaijani students in accessing world-class educational opportunities and global academic networks.
Related News
BFI Committee`s February Meeting
On February 6, AmCham hosted BFI Committee`s Meeting.BFI Chairperson, Mrs. Aytan Rustamova, opened the meeting by welcoming members, guest speakers Sanan Hasanov (Demir Bank) and Nazim Mammadov (Alliance Group LLC) as well as informing the committee members on the achievements & challenges of the past year.Within the first part of the meeting Committee Chairperson passed the floor to the guest speaker of the meeting, Mr. Sanan Hasanov, the representative of Demir Bank who delivered a report on “EnergoCredit”, the collaborative project of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) with Demir Bank. The presentation was followed by Q&A session.Short bio of our guest speaker:Mr. Hasanov holds a master of Finance from Azerbaijan State University of Economy. He is currently working for DemirBank OJSC as Marketing Director. He has more than 10 years experience in banking sector in Azerbaijan. He has managed and implemented many local and international projects.During the second part of the meeting Mr. Nazim Mammadov, representative of Alliance Group LLC has delivered a presentation on “Case studies from Georgia on EnergoCredit project”. The presentation was followed by Q&A session.The Committee meeting finished by networking and one-to-one conversations.Powered by Froala Editor
BFI Committee`s March Meeting
On March 16, AmCham hosted BFI Committee Meeting.BFI Chairperson, Mrs. Aytan Rustamova, opened the meeting by welcoming committee members and guest speaker – Mrs. Julie Nutter, Director of the Office of Sanctions Policy and Implementation in the Department of State’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs.Within the first part of the meeting, Mrs. Julie Nutter delivered a very informative speech on “US Policy & Sanctions on Russia and Iran” followed by Q&A session.During the second part of the meeting, Mrs. Nutter introduced Mr. W. Stuart Huffman, Foreign Service Officer of the Office of Sanctions Policy and Implementation, who joined her during the Q&A session.Short bio of our guest speaker:Julie Hagarty Nutter is the Director of the Office of Economic Sanctions Policy and Implementation (SPI) in the Department of State’s Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs (EB). Prior to her current posting, she was the Economic Minister-Counselor at the U.S. Embassy in London. From 2005 to 2008, Ms. Nutter was the Director of the Office of Development Finance in the Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs Bureau. She previously served as the Economic Counselor in the U.S. Mission to the European Union in Brussels. During her Brussels tour, she volunteered for an Iraq Provincial Reconstruction Team Leader position and spent seven months in Iraq, mostly in Basra, working to improve governance capacity at the provincial level. In earlier jobs, she headed the Ukraine desk of the State Department in the run-up to the Orange Revolution, worked closely with other donors on G-8 and Balkan reconstruction issues, and did political and economic reporting during the Liberian civil war. Ms. Nutter has a Masters’ degree in National Security Resource Strategy from the National Defense University and a Masters’ degree in International Economics from Georgetown University. She has two daughters, and grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Powered by Froala Editor
BFI AND CSR COMMITTEES` JOINT MEETING
On May, 18, AmCham hosted BFI and CSR Committees` Joint Meeting.Mrs. Nargiz Nasrullayeva-Muduroglu opened the meeting by welcoming participants as well as introducing Mrs. Natavan Mammadova as the newly appointed Director of AmCham Azerbaijan. Afterwards, she passed the floor to Mrs. Ayten Rustamova, Chairperson of BFI Committee, who introduced guest speakers to the audience – Mrs. Gwen Burchell, Director of United Aid for Azerbaijan (UAFA) and Mrs. Natavan Hasanova, researcher of Strategic Research Center of AR (SAM).During the first part of the meeting, Mrs. Burchell informed the participants of the meeting about UAFA and its activity. Afterwards, she passed the floor to her colleague – Mr. Saleh Nasirov – who provided the detailed information about the activity direction of UAFA, particularly pre-school educationm reabilitation centers and social support and also, creation of educational systems in four regions of Azerbaijan. Moreover, Mr. Nasirov presented a video clip about Child Development Center in Baku established by UAFA.Within the second part of the meeting, the floor was passed to Mrs. Natavan Hasanova who delivered a presentation on “Research Results on Corporate Social Responsibility at Azerbaijani Banks”. Along with the report on local activities, Mrs. Hasanova provided very thorough information on CSR activities in different countries (USA, China, Japanm Germany, Italy, Australia).In the end of the meeting, Ms. Aynura Piriyeva, Chairperson of CSR Committee, announced the organization of CSR Excellence Award in cooperation with P. World on October 1, 2.Powered by Froala Editor