Social enterprise and sustainability go hand in hand, and this year, four AUBG students, all female, proved that the power to create change lies with the youth.
For the third consecutive year, AUBG students have earned the OSUN Certificate in Sustainability and Social Enterprise, offered by the MBA program at Bard College in the United States. This year’s recipients are Victoria Taneva, Mihaela Shumarska, Marina Sanchez, and Iren Dimitrova. They completed demanding courses, working on real-world projects with true impact and long-term sustainability.
“Taking part in the OSUN Certificate program really changed the way I think about business,” said Mihaela Shumarska. “Before the program, I did not pay much attention to the social or sustainable aspects of entrepreneurship, but now I understand how a business can be both successful and meaningful.”
Experiential learning for sustainability
In the program, students can either take the three advanced OSUN courses offered – Introduction to Sustainability, Social Entrepreneurship, and Leading Change within Organizations) – or substitute one of them for a related course taught at AUBG. Students meet once per week via zoom, followed by weekly workshops with their local instructor.
“One thing that really fascinated me was that many of the instructors were already running successful business models, yet they were genuinely eager to support us and help us shape our own ideas,” said Mihaela Shumarska.
The courses attract not only undergraduate students but also graduate and PhD students, as well as participants from NGOs. “Having the chance to work within such a diverse and engaged community was priceless,” said Mihaela Shumarska.
While there are no official pre-requisites to join the courses, interest in the topic is essential. “Students need to be ready to jump in head and hearts,” said Professor Evelina Van Mensel, the local instructor at AUBG for the program. “These courses involve developing their own projects. It’s an experiential learning type of course, very practical, unlike typical lecture-based classes. This makes it challenging to complete all three courses and earn the certificate,” she added.
This year’s projects
As always, students’ projects focused both on improving campus sustainability and creating wider social impact.
Mihaela Shumarska’s project “Kids Forward”, focuses on digital literacy training for teachers in rural areas and providing devices containing interactive lessons and quizzes based on school materials.
Marina Sanchez’ project, “Nourished”, also targets schools by offering healthier, affordable food options to school cafeterias along with awareness campaigns on nutrition and mental well-being.
Marina also worked on a sustainability consulting project for Experian, where she and her team proposed tailored sustainability strategies to help mitigate local challenges across seven countries. The project culminated in a well-received presentation at Experian’s headquarters in Sofia.
“These experiences gave me a strong foundation in building socially responsible business models and working on real-world sustainability challenges,” said Marina Sanchez.
Another project, “The Snowball Effect”, developed by Mihaela Shumarska, aims to guide students who want to create a business around sustainability or social impact but lack the confidence or clear steps. By collaborating with AUBG clubs, they organized events and hands-on workshops where students could explore and develop their own ideas.
Other projects addressed stray dogs in the city and included collaborations with the Blagoevgrad Municipality to expand educational opportunities for youth.
In the past, many projects developed through the OSUN certificate program have grown beyond the classroom. For example, past participants have helped establish AUBG’s Sustainability Studies minor and launched social enterprises, like Martin Nedev’s biotech startup focusing on sustainable solutions.
A growing interest in sustainability and social enterprise
Since the program started three years ago, interest in the certificate and the topic of sustainability has grown steadily among AUBG students. “It took a lot of effort to build initial interest, but now there’s much more engagement. I see people who really want to jump in headfirst and work on these projects with all their hearts,” Prof. Van Mensel noted.
Still, she hopes to see even greater participation in the future, recognizing the vital role young people play in addressing today’s complex global challenges. “We’re facing issues too grave to ignore. Teaching students about sustainability and social entrepreneurship gives them the skills they need to change the world for the better.”
Who can join the OSUN certificate program?
The program’s courses are open to all AUBG students, and each semester offers different courses. In Fall 2025, AUBG will offer the Social Entrepreneurship course. Students can try individual courses or complete all three to earn the certificate, giving them an advantage in their future careers.
“This has been a truly amazing experience because not only the students we meet and exchange ideas with are working on important issue globally, but the program also offers a network of people and monitorship beyond the classroom,” said Professor Evelina Van Mensel.
