Interview: Veronika Stoyanova
The National Student Council Representation (NSCR) distinguished the most outstanding students in Bulgaria for the tenth consecutive year, at an official ceremony, held on 16th December 2016. The Grand National Prize was announced by the President of NSCR Ms. Yana Vangelova. She awarded the "Prize of the Student Community for Organizing the Largest Student Initiative" to Doychin Nikolov, a student in Medicine at Medical University - Varna. Here's what he shared with us after receiving the prize:
Hi, Doychin! First of all, congratulations on winning the prize! Would you tell us something more about you, about your studies, about your initiatives as an active student?
- Hi, and thank you! I am 24 years old, I come from Bourgas, and I am currently an intern-doctor in my final year of study. I have been active and willing to serve the society since I was a high school student. That was my reason for choosing medicine for my studies and future career development. As an active student I have been involved in a variety of initiatives, with which I have always tried to contribute to the development of the society - sports events, charity events. I have participated in the organization of a number of cultural events and a Guinness record.
- What does this prestigious award mean to you?
- For me, this prestigious award is a huge recognition, not only on a personal level because I do not think this success is just personal. On the contrary, it is a team recognition. This is the success of the young people, success of Medical University - Varna, because here the tendency to invest in young people is evident, so that they would not go to Terminal 2 and would stay here in Bulgaria. In this respect I dedicate my award to my Alma Mater - Medical University - Varna.
- What do you think are the most significant contributions that helped you win the prize?
- As an active student and representative of the student self-government at MU-Varna, I have always tried to act according to the motto of our Student Council - "Deeds speak louder than words". Deeds have always been the main engine of progress. I've tried to "infect" my colleagues with this ideology and to instill my emotion, the thrill of doing this kind of activities because we are the future of healthcare in Bulgaria, and as future health professionals we need to show the good example to the people. In this context it should be mentioned that our next steps depend on what we are doing now, and it is very important that our actions are properly understood and assimilated by the society itself. I think I have given my own example and I strongly hope that over the years it will be remembered and followed. I most sincerely believe that my colleagues from the new team of the Student Council will be awarded, too.
- What are the causes you have been a part of, and which of them have you supported most passionately?
- The causes are plenty indeed - large and dedicated to different topics. What really made me support all of them, without any exception, with all my passion, was the desire to give everything I could, regardless of the ultimate outcome. Thus one conveys his charge, his motive and when the team he works with is aware of that, things do happen. For me, it is the way we all together try to pursue the principle of aviators: "Onwards and Upwards!" Anyway, there is definitely one precise moment that I will remember forever! It happened on April 23 this year, when I heard the judge from Guinness World Records Jack Brooksbank uttering on the microphone "Medical University of Varna, people of Varna, you are officially amazing!" I was over the moon with joy because the Guinness record for the longest DNA helix that we managed to surpass was a huge initiative with a huge message to the society - that we, young people were able to unite ourselves, and the strength was within us! I think that was awesome!
- What did Medical University-Varna give to you?
- As a student at Medical University Varna I've always been extremely proud and I have shown this constantly. MU-Varna has given everything to me - starting with the quality education, which it still gives me and going through the most important life lessons on how a man should fight and defend his views through implementing his ideas. The example given by our academic management and our lecturers is the right example that I have perceived because I've always been a man of ideas. I have always followed the principle that if we start a discussion with a particular person and I have one idea and he has one idea - we both will have two ideas, and we need to share them in order to achieve something better, more meaningful. We are two persons and each of us will already have two ideas. This is what I witness here at MU-Varna, which is extremely important to me, along with the dedication and professionalism of everyone working in this institution.
- Which are the factors that make a student successful?
- The most important thing for a student to be successful is to be healthy, both mentally and physically, to be able to preserve himself as a personality, to build on what he has acquired from his family and during his school years and to strive to fully develop that potential. One must be committed to the training process, because our profession is extremely serious and responsible. On the other hand, the University provides so many opportunities and as long as the student gets to realize that he is at the right place he begins to snatch handfuls, at least that was what happened to me. In order to succeed a student needs to be active, to invest his time in the right way because time is the resource that you can never get back. When I was learning my first lessons on how to develop myself as a student leader, Dr. Boris Andonov said to me, "There is no such a thing as wasted time, there is only badly organized time." In other words, time management is the process that is perhaps the key to any success - collective and individual one.
- Do you intend to launch your career in Bulgaria, and what specialty have you chosen?
- I have definitely chosen Bulgaria for my further professional development. Here I find motivation to develop myself and work. The specialty I have chosen is diagnostic imaging. I've always been in favour of teamwork, and therefore I assume diagnostic imaging as an intermediate unit, part of the big multi-disciplinary team of a hospital. The medical diagnostic process for most patients is quite long and it goes through this intermediate unit, which provides specific visual information on what is going on with a certain patient. Definitely, I am extremely enthusiastic and impressed by the team at the Clinic at St. Marina University Hospital, in which I have had the opportunity to learn and work.
- What is coming next?
- The next step is my graduation. This year I have devoted myself entirely to my professional development as an intern-doctor, to develop and improve my capabilities in order to be competitive enough at the labor market in one year's time. Of course, I have always been responsive, and I will continue to respond promptly if the student activists need my help.
- Who would you like to thank?
- Everyone! I do hope I will not miss anyone, and if I did it would not be intentional! First of all, I'd like to thank the Rector Prof. Krasimir Ivanov and the academic management of MU-Varna for their time and their daily care for us as students. They have made an investment in us as a team so that we, the students of MU-Varna to be successful in all walks of life. I want to thank the administration for their support of our endeavours at any moment - whether in working or non-working hours. I wish to express my gratitude to Dr. Boris Andonov, to the new President of the Student Council Turgay Kalinov, to the management and teams of the Student Council and the student associations at MU-Varna, to these amazing active and young students, who invest each second in noble causes and student issues, because for them there is no day off. I express my deep gratitude to the team of the National Student Council Representation of the Republic of Bulgaria in the person of Ms. Yana Vangelova for her long lasting work, trust and the honour! Last but not least, I want to thank my family, my spouse and all friends and colleagues of mine who are still around me and surround me with the warmest feelings. Thank you also for your patience because thanks to you I am going in the right direction.
- What would you like to wish your colleagues for the coming year?
- I wish good health to every one of us. It is of vital importance so that everyone could pass successfully his way in life. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year celebrations near the family hearth! The New Year has always been the time to strike a balance. Let everyone personally try to reconsider what he has done so far, and what could be changed in a positive way because if a person does not try to change, it means there will be no progress, and progress nowadays is of crucial importance. I wish this New Year to be more successful than the old one. I wish you to be healthy, and we all together to strive to be better people.
