Born and raised in Tashkent, Uzbekistan’s bustling capital, Islom Boykobilov traces his roots back to Djizzakh, the region he proudly calls his hometown. Djizzakh is best known for its iconic bowl-sized samsa — crispy, hearty, and unique to the area. “If you ever come to Tashkent, reach out to me,” Boykobilov says. “I’ll make sure you get the real Djizzakh samsa.”
The Charm of Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan itself holds a special warmth for him. “The sun is hot, the tea is warmer, but the hospitality is the warmest of all,” he adds. It is this sense of openness and welcome that he now carries with him as he begins his next chapter at NYU Abu Dhabi.
At NYUAD, he plans to major in electrical engineering. What excites Boykobilov most about the field, he explains, is the sheer sense of possibility. “There’s so much to build, to innovate, and to overcome. The field of electrical engineering feels like a wide open sky for me to fly my kite in.” Boykobilov is also keen to explore the world of entrepreneurship to expand his horizons.
First and Only Choice
NYUAD was the only university Boykobilov applied to. The decision, he says, came with a kind of unshakable confidence. “I felt like I belonged here,” he adds. That belief was further cemented during Candidate Weekend, learning about the University’s mission of building a global community in solving global challenges, and also hearing only positive stories from current NYUAD Uzbek students.
His long-term goals are ambitious: to become a leading engineer-entrepreneur, to one day work on a Formula 1 engineering team, and perhaps even train as a pilot.
But despite his big-picture plans, he insists he is just as driven by spontaneity as structure. “I love making quick decisions,” he says. “So if you’ve got an idea, tell me. We might just end up on a poorly planned but wonderfully fun adventure.”
