Конкурс за стипендии

„Opportunity Funds – Bulgaria“ 2019

10 стипендии в размер до $5,000 всяка

за ученици в 11 клас
Краен срок за подаване на документи:

2 януари 2019 г.

За четвърта поредна година, Комисия „Фулбрайт” обявява конкурс за стипендии по програмата “Opportunity Funds – Bulgaria” за 2019 г. Програмата се финансира изцяло от Правителството на САЩ (Бюрото за образователни и културни дейности към Държавния департамент на САЩ) и Американското посолство в България и се осъществява от Консултантския център при Комисия „Фулбрайт”. Ще бъдат дадени 10 стипендии в размер до $5,000 всяка за подготовка на талантливи ученици от 11 клас за кандидатстване в акредитирани американски колежи и университети и отпътуване в САЩ. Постиженията на участниците в програмата Opportunity Funds-Bulgaria от 2016 и 2017 година са впечатляващи: 13 американски висши училища предложиха прием с общ размер на стипендиите близо 3 милиона и 400 хиляди щатски долара ($847,553/годишно x 4 учебни години). Настоящите студенти изучават психология, икономика, космическо инженерство, природни науки, биология и био-химия, електро- и компютърно инженерство, архитектура, математика, филмова режисура.

Прочетете техните вдъхновяващи истории на успеха.

Кандидатствайте за стипендиите Opportunity Funds-Bulgaria за 2019 година! 

OPPORTUNITY FUNDS-BULGARIA

For High School Juniors and Seniors

Success Stories

Kaloyan Valchev

AY2016-17 Opportunity Student

Doctor Petar Beron High School of Mathematics, Varna
                   Northwestern University, IL, USA                     Economics & Business

I am currently a sophomore at Northwestern University, majoring in Economics and minoring in Business.  I love every aspect of my college life and I consider my experience a huge success so far.  I live on-campus in one of the nicest dorms which was completely renovated just two years ago.  Academics can sometimes be overwhelming, especially at a top-notch university which uses the quarter system.  There are exams, quizzes, papers, and homework assignments more or less all the time, depending on the program and the courses.  Strategy and time management are key, and that is why I love how academics work at Northwestern. 

Culture shock?  Seriously?  I had no such thing at all.  It does take some time to get into the rhythm of the university, but it comes naturally.  Socializing was much easier than I expected.  I never felt any disadvantages being international.  In addition, it takes only fifteen minutes to walk from one end of the campus to the other, so I meet friends all the time and everywhere: in class, at the dorms, at the dining halls, or walking between the buildings.  I was surprised how friendly and approachable faculty members are.  All one needs is to be open-minded, because everyone is unique and contributes to the Northwestern community in a distinct way.  

Extracurricular activities are another important part of my college life.  There is an on-campus organization for every type of student.  As a former tennis player, I quickly stepped into the management of the Northwestern Tennis Club and cannot be happier about it.  Once I wanted to play at the varsity level, but now I realize that being a leader among friends who share the same passion is much more valuable and enjoyable than being an instrument in the hands of a varsity coach.  It was also not difficult for me to become a VP of the Investment Management Club, a career-oriented organization which assists future investors. 

I was not looking for an on-campus job, but the job found me anyways.  Northwestern Recreation invited me to become an assistant coach in tennis, and as of now I spend eight hours per week working with a variety of players, from middle school to seniors.  This job is a great way for me to take a break from studying and put some money aside.  

I love Northwestern’s location in the Chicago suburb of Evanston, on the coast of Lake Michigan.  The scenery resembles that of my home city of Varna, except for the skyscrapers.  That gives me strength.  I was initially nostalgic about Bulgarian food, but there turned out to be a few Eastern European shops and restaurants not far away from the Northwestern campus.

Who knew that being admitted to and thriving in a top-tier university was so easy?  Well, not per se, but once you have the right ingredients, you are almost there.  Many successful students share similar ambitions and qualifications.  Some of these, like me, feel the vast support of their families.  But only about a dozen per year get the chance to be sponsored by the Opportunity Funds Bulgaria program.  More specifically, OF helped me navigate the entire application process, from the exams, through the essays and documents, to my first footprints on Northwestern territory.  Being selected as an OF scholar implies my potential to be successful in a world-class university, but my family and I would have never been able to figure out each and every necessary step to our final destination on our own. The financial support that OF offered also played a huge role in my success story.  My family and I are extremely thankful to the US Department of State, to Fulbright, Education USA and everyone involved in the organization of Opportunity Funds Bulgaria, and especially to Ms Snejana Teneva who showed us the way to success.  Without the Opportunity Funds Bulgaria program, I would have never been able to enjoy a single minute of my Northwestern experience.

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      Opportunity student            Kaloyan with his father at Northwestern

                    

                                The Tennis Club team 

 

                   Kaloyan with Willie the Wildcat at Ryan Field  

OPPORTUNITY FUNDS-BULGARIA

For High School Juniors and Seniors

Success Stories

Aleksandrina Dimova

AY2016-17 Opportunity Student

Ivan Vazov Language High School, Plovdiv

NYU Abu Dhabi, UAE

Psychology

My name is Aleksandrina Dimova and I am a second-year student at New York University Abu Dhabi. I had the privilege of being among the first twelve Bulgarian high school students who were selected to participate in the Opportunity Funds Bulgaria program in 2016-2017. The program’s resources and the guidance it provided have helped me become part of the prestigious and highly selective institution I attend now. Although I chose to pursue my undergraduate degree in an American university located in the United Arab Emirates and not the United States, which was one of the goals of the program, I have successfully fulfilled another major goal of Opportunity Funds: a scholarship covering 100% of my university expenses. I have secured my place in one of the main campuses of the largest American research university and I am thus taking steps toward my dream of becoming an eating disorder psychologist while having unique opportunities to explore new cultures and travel across the Global Network of New York University.

Opportunity Funds Bulgaria has helped me achieve this by providing support in several major ways. A crucial aspect of the program has been the funding it gives to students from low-income backgrounds. These financial resources are crucial for the successful application process because standardized tests such as the SAT I, SAT II, and iBT TOEFL could be a serious – sometimes even unbearable – burden for low-income families which simply lack the finances to afford them. But the Opportunity Funds Bulgaria program does much more than simply paying exam fees. The three immersive one-week modules included in the program have been very helpful for my academic preparation for the standardized tests because they gave me the opportunity to learn from highly qualified instructors, including Fulbright fellow Sophia Kleinsasser whose feedback has been extremely helpful for the process of writing a successful Common Application essay.

Every module has also provided salient advice about applying to American colleges and universities by incorporating presentations and other activities related to selecting institutions to apply to and crafting a competitive application. This process has been facilitated by the amazing EducationUSA advisor Snejana Teneva who has been an irreplaceable source of support throughout the program. She has also contributed to making the modules entertaining and engaging by adding sports and other activities we could participate in. Although the focus of all modules has been success in the application process, a valuable aspect of them and the program as a whole is the community which is created. Opportunity Funds has gathered a small group of top students who all receive the support and advice they need while also learning to support and learn from one another. The one-week modules of Opportunity Funds Bulgaria have given me the first glimpse of college life by placing me in an environment where I live and study with a small group of exceptionally intelligent and hard-working individuals who pursue similar goals while learning and growing in the process.

Opportunity Funds Bulgaria 2016-2017 has been a valuable and enjoyable experience which has prepared me for success in the process of applying to American colleges and universities and beyond. I hope it will continue supporting other low-income students on their path to success in American higher education.

Disclaimer: The text is published in its original and unedited version.

 

                                         Opportunity student

                                     Marhaba 2017

OPPORTUNITY FUNDS-BULGARIA

For High School Juniors and Seniors

Success Stories

Snezhina Kancheva

                         AY2016-17 Opportunity Student                        
Prof. Dr. Assen Zlatarov FLS, Veliko Turnovo

                         Yale-NUS College in Singapore                         
Life Sciences

My name is Snezhina and I am currently a sophomore at Yale-NUS College in Singapore with a prospective major – Life Sciences. Two years ago, I intended to continue my education in a US higher institution and therefore, I applied to thirteen colleges in the US. While finishing up my application to Yale on Common Application, I found out about Yale-NUS by what we call the “check-the-box option”. I found the idea of pursuing a liberal arts degree in Asia so appealing that I deleted my Yale application and applied to Yale-NUS instead and I was accepted!

How did the Opportunity Funds scholarship help me get to where I am now?

In fact, I had never thought of applying to the US, let alone Singapore, before receiving the Opportunity Funds scholarship. That was partially because I used to live in a very unsupportive community in which success is confined to achieving a degree from a German higher institution.  Other exotic destinations beyond the borders of the Federal Republic are considered unreachable. Consequently, one is restricted to pursue their studies in disciplines offered in public German universities which might not necessarily align with their own passions.

However, the support I received from the other Opportunity Funds scholarship recipients motivated me to undertake an “unusual” life path that brought me to where I am now. I would also like to acknowledge Snejana Teneva’s enormous contribution to our SAT and TOEFL preparation as well as her wonderful advice for successful college applications. Without those people and the sponsorship of Opportunity Funds I wouldn’t have taken up a major that I love in a college that encourages personal growth and accomplishment.

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 Opportunity student

My suitemates and I during an official college dinner for the start of the semester

OPPORTUNITY FUNDS-BULGARIA

For High School Juniors and Seniors

Success Stories

Gabriela Radeva

AY2016-17 Opportunity Student

St. Patriarch Evtimii High School, Plovdiv

Loughborough University, UK

International Relations

My name is Gabriela Radeva. I am a second-year International Relations student at Loughborough University, United Kingdom. The University is quite large with 17 000 students, mostly undergraduates. It is located in Loughborough, a small university town in the Midlands. I personally love the town because even though it does offer the great opportunity to go out and spend time with friends, it still remains quiet and perfect for people who want to focus on their studies.

The university offers the best student experience in the UK, starting with the Loughborough Student’s Union (LSU), which is a great place to take part in a variety of societies and feel like you belong. The Careers Network helps students with their career-related issues, whether it is a CV or job prospect opportunities. Because of the large campus there is a shuttle bus that takes students from the LSU to our own STEM lab, fitness facilities and the Pilkington Library. The library is a four storey building with tons of study places for individual or group work. The library provides a wide range of courses to enhance student skills (Microsoft Office, essay writing, studying, etc.) and in order to make the student experience within the library easier, there is a subject specialist in each area who helps students find what they are looking for.

International Relations is a great field for people like me who still struggle to find the right place. It gives a lot of career opportunities depending on the modules students choose for themselves. Loughborough gives the opportunity to choose 1 optional module each semester in the first year as well as the second and third. They are usually from the Business, Language and Media departments. My field, unlike others, gives the opportunity to choose all modules in the second-year with only one core module per semester. This helps shape the field in a way you want it to be. However, since it is in the Politics and International Relations department, module choices are of course focused on those fields. I personally will be pursuing a career in the Public Relations field.

The Opportunity Funds and Snejana Teneva helped me a lot with the application process when I was applying to universities all over the USA. Their support helped navigate my applications in the right direction, to the right university and to the most suitable subject area for me.

My fellow Opportunity Funds students also contributed to the overall experience. We have shared each other’s knowledge whether it is through reviewing each other’s essays or helping one another with the Math or English sections of the SAT.

I am yet to achieve my dreams, but it is needless to say that the experience that the Opportunity Funds program offered me has played a vital role in choosing the right path for my education regardless of the fact that I am not currently studying in the USA.

Opportunity Funds is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that not only contributes to a student’s pre-university preparation, but also helps boost their confidence and teamwork skills. The connections I have made through the program with both my fellow students and Ms. Teneva have proven to be long-lasting and of immense value.

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    Visit to Nottingham     Opportunity student (first from right to left)

First snow on the Loughborough University campus

OPPORTUNITY FUNDS-BULGARIA

For High School Juniors and Seniors

Success Stories

Radoslav Bonev

AY2016-17 Opportunity Student

Petko Rachev Slaveikov Secondary School, Tryavna

New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria

Computer Science

            It is a pleasure for me to tell my story about how the Opportunity Funds-Bulgaria program helped me prepare for my future academic path and embrace the challenge of constantly pushing myself. This is how I developed my knowledge and discovered new opportunities.

            The Opportunity Funds program engaged me in a vivid environment with other students who were highly motivated and top-achievers in their areas. This encouraged me to establish my goals more clearly and prepared me to pursue them. The program was designed to cover essential topics developing my academic skills and the logistics behind the choice of my educational path.

            As an Opportunity student, I was given the opportunity to meet other like-minded students who were also passionate about what they were doing. We could always find interesting topics to talk about because every person in the group was looking for a way to improve her/himself. I could learn how my peers organized their schedules, how they approached the problems they faced, how they combined their academic life with their extracurricular activities, etc. I could debate with them over various topics and analyze different situations. This helped me become more aware of different points of view.

            Once I was put in a setting where practically everyone as at the top of her/his class I reminded myself that it takes a tremendous amount of effort to stay competitive. I set new goals for myself. I learned about the many opportunities which are present to us. This had a huge impact on me as I found out how much I loved to talk about the area I worked in – Computer Science.

            The Opportunity Funds program helped me both academically, and financially. I would say that I would never be able to improve myself so much without the support I received from the program. The first steps are always the most difficult ones. Opportunity Funds helped me take them. We were supervised by experienced mentors and were provided with the most up-to-date materials. Although the courses were rigorous, we had just enough time to relax and have fun.

            In conclusion, I would say that the Opportunity Funds program had a major impact on my professional and personal development. It influenced my further decisions. I am convinced that it provided me with the tools I needed to make the right choices for me. I really appreciate the support which the program gave me and I hope that I will have many more opportunities soon.

Disclaimer: The text is published in its original and unedited version.