Do Not Conform. Be Authentic.
“It was the fifth day of my orientation week. I remember myself sitting with a group of people in the main lobby of Skaptopara 2 and playing the “Mafia’s night” game. I was enjoying it so much. I felt like I had found the people I want to hang out with. I felt like I had found my place and myself,” recalls Luka Gotsiridze and a slightly nostalgic smile appears on his face while he is talking.
Gotsiridze is an AUBG senior who comes from Batumi, Georgia. He is majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication and minoring in European Studies. He shares that AUBG was the only foreign university he applied for and he’s extremely satisfied with his decision. According to Gotsiridze, AUBG opened many doors for him and helped him find one of his passions — Communication. In addition, he says that the experiences he had at AUBG helped him grow and create an impression about the direction of his life.
“Definitely Communication is my thing. I think I’m on the right path in my life. I just need to clean it from the mud and grass in order to see it more clearly.”
According to Gotsiridze, it’s not only the studies that contributed to his maturing but also the extracurricular activities he got involved in, during the years. He was only a freshman when he became a Student Assistant in Admissions. Gotsiridze was given important tasks, thanks to which he got really involved in the administration.
“ The head of Admissions sent me to Georgia for recruitment. That was insane because they covered everything during my stay. I even had my own private driver,” shares Gotsiridze enthusiastically and his laughter fills the main lobby.
Gotsiridze says that he got even more involved in the community when he became a Resident Assistant (RA). He sees this position as unique because it allows him to act as a bridge between the staff and the student body.
“ This is my fourth semester as an RA. I love the job. It gives you so many opportunities to help the community and improve yourself.”
Since his sophomore year, Gotsiridze has also been a social media manager at the Model European Union (MEU) club at AUBG. The club is responsible for organizing an annual simulation of the EU decision-making process in Blagoevgrad. “I chose this club due to my interest in European Studies and social media,” shares Gotsiridze.
All the experience Gotsiridze gained thanks to both academic achievements and strong social engagement made him more self-aware and self-confident.
“The more experiences you go through, the more barriers you overcome. The more self-confident you become, the more you shine and express yourself,” proudly states Gotsiridze.
The change in his personality is also sensed by his closest friends. Lyuben Zarev, who’s also a senior, recalls the first time he met Gotsiridze and his first impressions:
“I met Luka the very first days we came to AUBG in August, 2016. We became friends in the first days of the orientation week,” says Zarev and smiles. “I remember him like a little boy. He was a bit more shy but he was still extrovert — willing to explore and find new things.” Zarev stops talking and laughs for a while. “He used to say he doesn’t drink alcohol — that changed,” he adds.
Gotsiridze shares that actually one of his hobbies recently, is going out for a beer on his own. He says that he loves having time for himself — just drinking, smoking his cigarette and observing people. “Being there at the time.”
“I look at the people and start observing and creating my own story regarding them. Imagine , you see all these people, they have their own problems, their own works, interests and philosophies for life. That’s incredible.”
Although Gotsiridze is interested in people and admires what they do, he shares that his trust in them decreased dramatically over the past few years. According to him, we live in a “dirty and polluted” world, where even if you want to be a good person, there would always be people whose attitude would turn you into the general human being of the modern society. One following the same established framework, unable to fulfill his unique purpose and express his authentic identity here on Earth.
“I think all of us are born very kind and empathetic but then the air on this earth is already dirty . I’m not saying explicit pollution but rather implicit pollution. Dirt.”
As Gotsiridze’ s journey at AUBG is towards its end, he is very excited about the things that will follow afterwards. To the freshmen, he gives the advice to express themselves and never hide their real essence and identity regardless of the harsh world.
“Freshmen should express themselves even If they think whatever they say is weird. They have to go for it — the weirder it is the more authentic it is. The more authentic it is, the more you know who you are. Do not conform — be authentic. That’s my main advice. ”
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Bilhen Sali is a Sophomore at AUBG. She’s fond of creative writing.
