Ana Petrova Valeva
“You have to be happy to make other people happy,” Ana Petrova Valeva says. Following this life motto, the AUBG Freshman is passionate about health and environmental issues.
Back at home, 19-years-old Ana lives with her family at the seaside in Varna. They own land and animals, and they produce their own meat and dairy products. “At home, I’m used to having fresh fruits and vegetables,” Ana says. “And my granddad, he has bees. So, he produces honey.”
Ana cares about the environment and tries to reduce waste. “When I go to the shop, I think of what I can buy that’s not unhealthy or in a plastic package,” she says. “Then I find myself struggling because there are not so many products like that.”
At AUBG, Ana plans on majoring in Business Administration or Economics. She is eager to reach high business goals like her role model Kristalina Georgieva, the managing director of the International Monetary Fund. She is impressed by how Georgieva balances work and private life.
When Ana had a summer job at Varna airport, she met Georgieva in person. “When I realized that she is actually travelling, I decided to talk to her,” Ana says. “She was just like a regular person. And she was actually — not to say excited, but she was fine talking to me.”
Ana smiles when she talks about this moment. “She really encouraged me to continue my studies and then pursue my dreams of becoming as successful as her one day.”
In order to achieve her goals, Ana even studied Chinese for a couple of months. “Chinese is now an important language for people who are in economy,” Ana says. “That’s why I want to learn it. But it will take time.”
Ana’s favorite class at AUBG is Spanish. She already speaks English, Bulgarian, Russian and German. “I don’t feel like I will ever stop learning foreign languages,” Ana says. “I really enjoy understanding other people. And you can connect with them a lot better in their native language than only in English.”
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Daniela Riess is a student at AUBG studying Journalism and Mass Communication. She likes talking to people and spreading their stories.
