Honors Convocation Vol. 24




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  • 2017-04-24 22:41:09
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  The 24th Annual Honors Convocation Ceremony once again commemorated the most prominent students and celebrated their academic excellence and achievements. The event took place on April 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Dr. Carl Djerassi Theater Hall, where the students on the Dean’s List, President list, the award recipients in each major, and Presidential Medalist were recognized and honored. [caption id="attachment_36217" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Optimized-IMG_4068 Opening remarks of Acting President Steven Sullivan; Credits to Gretunea Talmaci[/caption] The ceremony started with the AUBG Choir’s performance of “Hymn to St. St. Cyril and Methodius” and the opening remarks of Acting President Steven Sullivan. Lyuben Popov, Student Government president, congratulated the students and expressed his gratitude towards the work and help of the faculty.
“We have gathered here tonight to recognize the outstanding qualities of not us students but also of our faculty. To show that despite the turmoil and challenges, the American University in Bulgaria honors its traditions and the accomplishments of its members”, explained Popov.
President Sullivan recognized a total of 156 students, who were listed as Presidential Scholars for having a cumulative grade point average of 3.80 - 4.00 after the completion of at least two semesters at AUBG. Next, Dean of Faculty Robert White distinguished 268 Dean’s list Scholars who have achieved a grade point average of 3.80 - 4.00 for the respective semester. [caption id="attachment_36215" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Optimized-IMG_4108 Tsvetiana Zaharieva and Boryana Ilyova receiving honors for outstanding achievement in Vocal Music; Credits to Gretunea Talmaci[/caption] The ceremony proceeded with the recognition of outstanding students from the graduating class in each major. According to Dean White, these people are distinguished not only by their academic achievement but also by their curiosity, and enthusiasm for the field. In addition, the winners of the University Council Essay Award and Annual AUBG Programming Contest were also announced. Tsvetiana Zaharieva received the most awards this year for outstanding achievements in three fields -  Journalism and Mass Communication, Business Administration, and Vocal Music. Apart from her academic achievements, Zaharieva has been doing a lot of extracurricular activities. She is part of the PR Team at TEDxAUBG, and is a social media manager for this year’s musical Rock of Ages. Zaharieva has also been in the AUBG Choir for four years and is this year's Student representative to the BoT. [caption id="attachment_36216" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Optimized-IMG_4091 Tsvetiana Zaharieva receiving honors for outstanding achievement in Journalism and Mass Communication and Business Administration; Credits to Gretunea Talmaci[/caption]
“Having this recognition from your teachers is something that proves that your work has been noticed and evaluated properly,” explained Zaharieva. “Especially for Business Administration it was a huge surprise because in my opinion I could have done more for the Business Department but I guess the teachers have other criteria for picking out the awardee,” she added.
For the first time faculty members were awarded the Cosmina Tanasoiu Excellence in Teaching Award for their enthusiasm for their subject, commitment to liberal arts, and contribution to the university. Provost Emilia Zankina awarded Creative Writing Professor Michael Cohen, Philosophy Professor Diego Lucci, and Political Science Professor Robert Philips. President Sullivan announced the final award - the Presidential Medal. The honor, based on academic achievements and community service, is given to the fourth-year student who best exemplifies the ideals of the liberal arts education - “broad knowledge, discipline digging, and social responsibility”, as Acting President Sullivan announced it. [caption id="attachment_36214" align="aligncenter" width="1024"]Optimized-IMG_4166 2017 Presidential Medalist - Stella Ivanova; Credits to Gretunea Talmaci[/caption] Graduating students have the opportunity to write an essay in which they describe what makes them interesting and worthy to be the Presidential Medalist. After that, a Selection Committee reviews the applications and chooses five students that best fit the criteria, interview them, and further recommend a student to the President who makes the final decision, shared Lydia Krise, Dean of Students. The 2017 presidential medalist is Stella Ivanova, majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication and Cross-Cultural Communications. President Sullivan explained that the Selection Committee recommended Ivanova, as she has shown not only outstanding academic commitment but also a dedication to community service on a local, national, and global level. She has been combating domestic violence against women in Bulgaria, working in disability rights in children education in Roma communities, and also working with children diagnosed with Autism and Down-Syndrome. She is accepted in Oxford, where she will pursue a Masters Program in International Development and Sociology with a focus in helping women in Third World countries.
“You come to the university as a blank canvas and all the courses you take and the people you learn from give you the colors to paint”, said Ivanova.
Full List of students recognized for their outstanding achievements in: Outstanding Achievement in Information Systems: Tomislav Marinov and Nikolay Babev Programming contest: 3rd place - Emiljano Gjiriti, 2nd place - Jimsher Skhirtladze, 1st place - Viacheslav Shklyaev Outstanding Achievement in Mathematics: Stefan Ivanov Outstanding Achievement  in Computer Science:  Katalina Dimitrova and Aleks Angelov Outstanding Achievement  in Journalism and Mass Communication: Tsvetiana Zaharieva and Iuliia Shirinkina Outstanding Achievement  in Economics: Stefani Kostadinova and Veronika Georgieva Outstanding Achievement  in Business Administration: Tsvetiana Zaharieva and Anatoly Prekrasnyy Outstanding Achievement  in Modern languages: French: Yegor Ganin German: Denitsa Mitsova Bulgarian: Maria Sufieva Outstanding Achievement  in Literature and Writing: Saida Karimova Outstanding Achievement in Instrumental Music: Toni Dzhambazov and Aliaksandra Salanevich Outstanding Achievement in Vocal Music: Tsvetiana Zaharieva and Boryana Ilyova Outstanding Achievement in History and Civilizations: Alena Usacheva Outstanding Achievement in European Studies: Kalinova Gaydarova Outstanding Achievement  in Political Science and International Relations: Anatoly Prekrasnyy and Denitsa Getova The Cosmina Tanasoiu Excellence in Teaching Award: Michael Cohen, Diego Lucci an Bobby Phillips Emeritus recognition: Angel Popov EMBA: Daniela Arabadzhiyska Development of athletics: Ruzbe Asadullayev Al Cyrus Theater award: Rozafe Maliqi and Archil Gugberidze Community Volunteer Service:  Olga Turcan Resident Assistant: Olga Turcan Student adviser: Anu Molor and Marin Kutrolli This article was the joint effort of AUBG Daily’s owls Diana Petkova, Georgi Dobrev, and Milka Stoycheva.