Valeriya Sotnikova
“One of my happiest memories is when I received a call from the representatives of the FLEX program,” says first-year AUBG student Valeriya Sotnikova, “I didn’t know what would happen next, but I was happy.”
FLEX is an exchange program that gives high school students around the world an opportunity to study in the USA for a year. Valeriya applied for the program while she was a high school student in Kazakhstan, so she got to study in the school in Las Vegas for a year.
The year that she spent in Las Vegas was interesting and life-changing for Valeriya. “I changed in the States,” she says, “the whole experience gave me a lot of room to grow.” There she realized how much she likes to work with people. While earlier she wanted to be an interpreter or a biologist, FLEX changed her professional preferences. Now she wants to pursue a career connected to a closer communication with people. That is why she chose to study Psychology and Journalism and Mass Communication at AUBG.
So far Valeriya has been happy with her choice of university and areas of study. She really likes AUBG campus as well as helpful people and professors. Moreover, she believes that the professors here are handling the switch to online education very well, compared to her previous experience in Kazakhstan.
Apart from her satisfaction with the chosen university, in general, she likes Bulgaria and Blagoevgrad. Being from the cold city in Kazakhstan called Karaganda, the weather and nature in Bulgaria are perfect for Valeriya. Moreover, she loves the fact that she can walk by herself at night and feel safe since the crime rates are not too high in Blagoevgrad.
Even though traveling is one of her favorite activities, Valeriya didn’t have a chance to travel much apart from Bulgaria and the States. She loves the fact that she is studying in Europe now, so she has more opportunities to travel. Also, she would love to visit Canada and maybe even live there one day. One of her goals is to get a masters degree in Canada or the US. “My expectations for Canada are very high,” says Valeriya.
Apart from studying, traveling, and communicating with people, Valeriya enjoys a wide variety of activities. She plays basketball, volleyball, soccer, and guitar. Moreover, she loves sewing dolls, reading books and watching TV shows. Even though she finds inspiration from lots of activities, one thing that lights a spark within her is other people. “I admire people who are artistic,” she says. When she hears stories about people who are passionate about something, she wants to be a better version of herself.
One thing that Valeriya did to communicate with passionate people is volunteering. She has been a representative of the FLEX program in Karaganda. While volunteering she organized events to introduce American culture to people in Kazakhstan, as well as created some health events. Once she organized a campaign where she traded people’s cigarettes for fresh fruits to promote a healthy lifestyle. She was surprised to see how many people agreed to trade cigarettes for fruits.
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Mariya Khomenko is a student at the American University in Bulgaria majoring in Business Administration. She likes meeting new people and learning about their experiences.
