Nikolay Pavlov is one of the Bulgarian students who grew up in the United States and decided to come to Bulgaria and study at AUBG after high school. He is now a third-year student majoring in Business Administration. Niko, as the friends call him, takes advantage of the best out of the campus life – he is a Resident Assistant at Skapto 2, competes in the AUBG soccer league and he is one of the members of the Olympics student club. He shares that coincidentally, he’s Teodora Nikolova‘s successor to her Vice President position in Olympics where she was “sort of a mentor” to him.
This year, Nikolay is one of the recipients of the AUBG & Friends Golf Tournament Scholarship. The scholarship is available for current students thanks to the support of the participants in the tournament.
Read more about the impact of the scholarship for Nikolay below:
Sort of like Thanos I have all the infinity stones in terms of trophies (1st, 2nd, 3rd, Best freshmen my freshmen year, Best defender last year spring).
My earlier experience in sports comes from the U.S., where I went to high school and was a multisport athlete as well as playing for a club football team outside of school.
Niko during a dodgeball challenge
Niko and the RA team
I really value teamwork and everyone working together because it makes life and your work so much easier. It gives everyone a chance to bond with each other, and everything is so much more fun when you’re surrounded with people who share the same passion for sports like yourself. You have all sorts of amazing experiences together as well as make a lot of great memories that you’ll always remember and look back at.
I decided to apply for the scholarship because when I applied last year, I did not get accepted, and I didn’t want to give up, so this year I decided to try again, and I was very happy when I was one of the recipients because it made me feel like my dedication to sports here at AUBG was appreciated.
With the RA team
Niko and his team winning the soccer league
I believe sports is an integral part of not just my life but everyone else’s, and I want to share my passion for it by helping out the community here on campus.
To me, sports and academics go hand in hand because the skills I develop in sports translate to my studies and keep me responsible. It’s a great way to relieve stress when studying starts to go overboard, and it helps me stay in shape. Also, it makes my financial burden a little bit less to continue studying here, making it easier for mom and dad back home.
My advice is to never give up. Have a heart as hot as fire but a mind calm like water. Even if something doesn’t go your way, it’s all about your mentality and how you see things.
