"I am Georgi Ivanov from the 12^thgrade of the Sofia Mathematical High School and my main interest is physics."

This is the simple presentation of one of Harvard University's future students for this year, which according to analyses turned out to be the most difficult for admissions. There were 57,000 student applicants from all over the world, with only 1,968 or 3.4% of them approved. One of them is the Bulgarian Georgi Ivanov, who has been attracted to science and physics since an early age. He found the reason in the interesting stories about famous scientists told by his grandparents. They are the only ones related to mathematics in his family - his grandmother is a physicist and his grandfather an engineer.

As for the discovery that he has talent, Georgi succinctly explains:

"Ever since I was a preschooler, I started solving problems for the higher classes and to take part in math competitions. From the results I achieved, it was not difficult for my parents to notice that I have the qualities of a future mathematician or physicist”.

Years of hard work, problem solving, and many grandma's stories followed of amazing scientists who completed their studies in the "magic place" called Harvard. Thus, Georgi decided to follow his dreams and be like them, he applied weeks before he turned 19, and on April 7 this year he received the eagerly awaited response:

"No one who applies to Harvard believes they will be accepted, so I can't say I expected it, I just had very high hopes. Interestingly, the answer from Harvard was the last one I opened. I had previously been turned down by other major universities in the United States, and there was a lot of tension. Until the very last moment, I did not believe that I would be accepted there until I opened the letter and saw "Congratulations" written in large letters. Then I started jumping for joy and I would say that it was the culmination of years of hard work and dreams. How did I win them? The ticket to Harvard or the winning factor, so to speak, was that I taught science to 700 children in Bulgaria. The way in which I managed to present this activity in my essays and in the interview was subsequently the factor that made Harvard accept me," Georgi says.

And this winning factor is in fact a social project that Georgi is implementing together with his personal mentor, the American Luis Lomelli - founder of the youth development organization Vox Tua. Their idea is to make children look at science through their personal experience and its application in everyday life. They are aimed at students from the 1^st to 4^th grade in the municipalities of Pavlikeni and Sliven, who do not have access to resources like those of their peers in well-equipped schools. Thus, through the project, Georgi discovers another passion in his life - mentoring and "transmitting" science to children. A passion that he certainly wants to continue in the future.

"I would say that I am now facing a long period of education and focused work ahead of me, but I am adamant that whatever direction I take in it, Bulgaria will definitely be part of it. I plan to return to my homeland and continue my work here, in some form, because I believe we can present ourselves much better to the world and I personally can help make this happen by using the accumulated knowledge, skills, resources and experience from an elite institution like Harvard."

And this is not the American dream, this is just the dream of Georgi from Bulgaria!

 
English version Rositsa Petkova

Photos: private library