A YouTuber, a student, and a loving daughter are only some of the things that describe Sedra Abbara. She is an 18-year-old freshman at the American University in Bulgaria (AUBG) who shared in an exclusive interview her experience at the university so far. As a refugee from Syria with half Bulgarian roots, Sedra revealed her ways of overcoming difficulties with academic and social life as a first-year student. Those struggles, she described, brought her depression that almost caused her to drop out of AUBG.
Sedra's social anxiety led her to close herself to others at the beginning of the semester. She felt like “the weird kid” amidst everybody, even though she tried to socialize.
“I came here, and I was really scared of not fitting in. And that comes from going to a Bulgarian school and not fitting in,” she said.
As a Muslim from an Arabic country, Sedra viewed her transition to Bulgaria in 2019 as an obstacle. The language barrier and cultural differences caught her unprepared at the age of 14.
The pattern of adjusting to a new country had been repeated in her past when she and her family had to flee the Syrian war in 2012. They moved to Jordan, where they “were treated as refugees, which is something that is sadly looked down upon,” in Sedra’s words.
She is majoring in politics and journalism, not by chance.
“We have a very beautiful religion, and not many people realize that. In the media, it’s portrayed as something horrible — absolutely horrible. And to me, it’s super ridiculous. I think that’s why I chose journalism and politics together as two majors. Because I want to show both sides, politically speaking and through the media, especially when it comes to our religion.”
On top of that, the academic pressure of having multiple courses from different fields and maintaining a scholarship overwhelmed her additionally.
“I had too many panic attacks. My roommates, all three of them, they know, really, they’ve seen it.”
Sedra is now feeling comfortable since she joined the TedX AUBG club. The young girl discovered that she was the one holding herself back from AUBG’s opportunities. She felt acceptance and understanding from a Lebanese senior from the club who opened her worldview to the bright side of AUBG, where she can always find help if she asks for it.
The main university flaw Sedra highlights is the lack of enough information provided to freshmen in order to take maximum advantage of AUBG and its connections with accomplished people and institutions.
Students’ academic lives are not easy because, for many of them, university is not their only priority.
Besides everything, Sedra continues working on her influencer career with the partnership of her family throughout the semester.
“I was 13, I wanted to make YouTube videos. Somehow, people started watching these videos and telling me that they liked them. My mom was like, ‘I see a business there, so let’s make it a family one.’ My mom is my manager, my oldest sister is the accountant, and my middle sister handles the graphics.”
Because of the business, Sedra and her sisters set their mother free from financial obligations when she was 49.
“My mom had to work three jobs to be able to support three children in Jordan. I always say she’s a superwoman. Once I started realizing we’re profiting from this and we can live off of it, I felt like I owed this to my mom.”
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Teodora Ruseva is a sophomore at the American University in Bulgaria who majors in Business Administration and Journalism and Mass Communication. She filled a lot of gaps in her knowledge regarding Arabic culture during her first time as an interviewer.
