She often proves to those who do not By Tsvetina Georgieva A devoted, stubborn, and highly motivated girl, she both works hard at the Treasury Department of Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) and studies at the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG). She strives for learning as much as possible, achieving her goals, and making her dreams come true. She is Yoanna Dimitrova. Yoanna, a 22-year-old student, is a senior at AUBG, majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance as well as Political Science and International Relations. She is a full-time student who also started a full-time job at a big and widely known company. “In my last year of studying, I decided to challenge myself and work as well as study,” Yoanna says. “I am proud I managed to survive throughout this last year. I am not exaggerating, and I am not saying it as a senior, but I really had a lot of hardships, all of which were due to my own personal choices. I started working a full-time job; I engaged in so many things; I did not leave any of the clubs I participate in, although I was not as devoted as I used to be in the past two years; and I continued studying.” She realized that all working people have responsibilities which bring challenges as well. She has gone through several crises so far, but none of them discouraged her to keep going and bear the consequences of her own personal choices and decisions. “I sacrificed my time for sleeping, for friends, and for enjoying my last year at AUBG in the name of working. But I believe one should stick to their own decisions,” Yoanna says. Depriving herself of some things in the name of others did not force Yoanna to choose one of the two - either work or studies. She finds good things in both and takes lessons in order to develop herself. “There were times when I could not go to sleep as I had not finished a project. I even had moments when I did not know where to start from or what exactly I had to do,” Yoanna says. “However, this all helped me develop good and useful qualities and learn many things that I will use in the future.” Despite those difficult moments, Yoanna values the benefits of her job which include meeting different people from various countries and working in a professional and highly qualified environment in an international company. She admits that working for CCEP also taught her to be patient and not be afraid of challenges as they are the ones to help a person improve and aim higher. “What I like about my position is that it challenges me. The job is dynamic and different every day, which does not allow me to get bored,” Yoanna says. “There is this quote I really like, which says, ‘you should have the courage to face something that frightens you the most so that you understand that fear is not dangerous’.” Finding this job at one of AUBG’s Job Fairs, initially, she was unsure what her responsibilities in that position would be. Despite that, Yoanna decided to give it a try and follow her motto of learning as much as possible from every experience in her life. “I didn’t even know what a passion I had towards Finance, and I discovered it at AUBG,” Yoanna says. “My passion was once again confirmed when I started working in the Treasury Department of CCEP.” Everything began with an intern position Yoanna applied for and turned out to be a full-time job. Now, the company has even offered her a higher position. “CCEP offered me a new contract for a higher position. With their help and my own efforts and passion, I managed to go one step ahead. Now, I already have a job, I am set, but I believe there is more out there to be learned,” Yoanna says and smiles. Both AUBG and her job built Yoanna’s individuality and helped her realize many things about herself, acquire new skills, and apply her knowledge. “I think every company or corporation is a tiny model of the world because everything that happens there shapes you as a personality. You develop your attitude towards things; you develop a character,” Yoanna says. “That is what happened to me.” Yoanna believes in her power to succeed through perseverance and dedication. She works a lot in that direction and aims high. Her job gives her incentives to keep going. “I realized that everything is possible with the correct mentors, the right attitude, and the passion and motivation. Sometimes I had challenges, but I kept repeating to myself that I had gone through worse so I could achieve whatever I want,” Yoanna says. She is so devoted and determined that nothing can stop her from achieving her goals. She would like to work in an investment bank someday. “I am very stubborn and do my best when I work hard on something. When people tell me I cannot do something, I respond “No, I can do that, and I will show you,” Yoanna says and laughs. believe in her that she can do more than they expect. Such is the case of managing with both working and studying. Sometimes it is difficult for her to balance the two, but Yoanna motivates herself to turn her idea of a “perfect life” into reality. “In 5-10 years, let’s say, I imagine my perfect life to be in a foreign country as I think there is something more out there that I want to explore. I would be happy if I am able to survive somewhere else, settle down, find a job I like, and challenge myself to see if I can live on my own abroad.” Daily’s Seniors Share Their Wisdom AUBG Daily isn’t just another club at AUBG. It is a place where you work hard, make true friends and learn so much (even if you aren’t a JMC major) . When I first joined in my sophomore year, I started as inexperienced editor. I had no idea what I was doing, but being surrounded by so many open-minded, friendly spirited, talented and eager to learn people, you can grow and prosper more than you can imagine. This is why Daily was a big part of my AUBG experience! I am beyond grateful for being part of this owlie family and I look forward to see how future owlies will continue to change this community for better. <3 -Prolet Boneva I still remember my heart hammering like crazy on my way to meet Daily and its people for the first time. Understandable… After all, Daily was one of the places I promised myself I’d belong to, once I get in AUBG. I got accepted in this small nest of clever owlies and saw it grow to become the family I had the chance to be part of for four years. Thank you Daily for being one of my dreams-come-true at AUBG! -Bilhen Sali SPRING 2022 | AUBG DAILY 11
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