The thing I will remember my time in UWC the most by is the thing it differed by from my previous environment – the sense of community. I come from the capital of Bulgaria – Sofia, and grew up surrounded by masses of people, with a small core of friends and family to rely on. Coming to UWC, I was thrown into the community from day one, which while was a shock initially, eventually grew to become the thing that kept my love for the place and the people growing day by day.
I truly fell in love with the UWC spirit and when I heard of its similarities to the values and beliefs held by L&C, I was immediately intrigued. As I have heard from friends attending the college, the community of Lewis & Clark nurtures engagement and desire to make change, which is a perfect fit for me as I aspire to become part of the small but much needed civil movement aimed at fighting for the preservation of tangible cultural heritage. My home has a lot to offer when it comes to cultural heritage, but there is a lack of support for its preservation due to corruption, law loopholes, lack of funding and general disregard for culture. My main aim for my professional career is precisely to work for the preservation of such heritage, which is why I plan to major in History of art and later on to pursue an MD in Cultural Preservation. In L&C I hope to take full advantage of the opportunities given by the resourceful environment and learn as much as possible about as many things as possible.
Outside of the classroom, I really enjoy arts – reading both prose and poetry as well as visiting all kinds of museums and galleries. Watching movies and plays is another passion of mine (for quite a while I wanted to become a movie critic). I love going on trips and cannot wait to explore the beautiful Pacific Northwest – my mother is a biologist and I spent the majority of my childhood exploring forests and mountains.