A L U M N I U P D AT E S : D E S P I N A K AT S I R O U B A 1 9 valuable and thought provoking each course was and you were able to personalize your classes in order to learn what you actually care about. On the other hand, UK universities have standardized classes for your course which do not allow for tayloring your degree to your interests. However, the coursework is very similar to what I learned in the IB at AAS, which makes the study hours less, and thus you are able to focus on your interests on your free time.
One of my close friends and AAS alumni, Milla Ivanova, wearing a Green Spirits t-shirt
people that simply want a degree, and others that want to rank on top of the class. This affects the efforts each person puts and can be extremely difficult to collaborate evenly on our project. I am very thankful for the freedom that my course allows. Unless I am studying for exams, I am able to use my time when I’m not at the lectures to grow my own side business focused on sustainable fashion, and improve on my hobbies. How was it living in the US? And in the UK? Living in both the US and UK has had a huge impact to me as a person because of how different they were. They US university courses are very rigorous and coursework heavy. Even though it is challenging, I loved how
What do you miss about AAS? AAS has given me a lot, and I am very thankful I got to experience the education and culture of this school. One of the most important aspects that made AAS feel like home and that I currently miss is the community. Everyone knew each other, we said hi to each other even outside of school and it created a safe zone that in other schools you do not have. Of course there is the usual “drama” but at the end of the day we could all rely on each other for absolutely everything, both students and teachers Even years after graduating I’m still best friends with everyone I was close to in high school. We support each other, we’re there for each other, and I would never change that for the world. I also miss the athletics at AAS. I loved being able to “let go” for a couple of hours each day and work out not only physically but mentally.
A vegan friendly pancakes recipe I created for my Instagram and Youtube
