This article was originally published on the AUBG Daily website, it is written by Spasiela Gizdova and edited by Maria Hristova and Vasil Paskov.
Known for its diverse student club activities, AUBG is a place that fosters the development of its students’ various interests. Ideas become reality, when a few’s passion for history turns into the university’s newest community – The History Club.
“We were sitting on a bench and she (Gabriela Tsvetanova, co-founder of the club) asked me: ‘Why don’t we start a history club?’, and I said that I was down for it, as there wasn’t much stuff regarding history outside of class,” Bianca Garcia, co-founder of the club, said. They shared the idea with another friend majoring in History and that was when they started building upon their initial plan.
“The process of establishing the History Club was not at all difficult. We easily collected signatures and then the Senate voted on it in a Student Government meeting,” Gabriela said.
In terms of recruitment, Gabriela shared that it was challenging to organize such a process, just because the club still has not gone through the process of establishing its own budget. Still, she added that her team is planning to make an event during the Spring ‘24 semester.
“We want to have a solid base of people for the next semester, so we are considering recruiting new people now,” Gabriela said. Bianca added that there are no specific requirements for students to apply. They just have to be interested in history in general.
Their passion inspired them to start preparing for different events such as themed parties, movie screenings, and various workshops. Their wish is to go beyond the conventional scope of understanding history.
“We plan to cover history not strictly in the manner it’s done in classes. For example, to communicate more about history from other countries that are not covered in the courses. We think that this is a fun way to learn about new places and find people who share common interests,” Bianca said.
Simeon Simeonov, Associate Professor of History and Civilizations, embarks on his journey as an advisor of the club. He was truly enthusiastic about the idea of a history club at AUBG.
“I feel that so many people are interested in history, so I could not believe that a club like this was not in existence already,” Prof. Simeonov said.
One thing he wanted to give as advice to the members of the club was to explore possible collaborations with the municipal government and institutions like the state archive.
“A lot of interesting stuff that historians discover is hidden in the state archive and before going there I didn’t know that I was actually allowed to,” Prof. Simeonov said. He also added that any citizen who is above 18 years old, can access it.
“I am thinking of strengthening that cooperation if that is in the interest of the club and young people, because Blagoevgrad and the region have a rich history and I think that it’s important to engage with that,” Prof. Simeonov said.
