You are here

15 with Alexandra, who spends summers in Bulgaria

What classes are taking this semester?
Personal Finance, Ceramics special projects, Spanish IV, General Chemistry at ONU and Calculus III at ONU, Advanced Prep English, Physics and Art IV. The two courses at ONU are post-secondary.

How many college credit hours do you have?
If you base it on Ohio Northern University, I have 40 credit hour, which would be make a second semester sophomore.

What other post-secondary classes have you taken at ONU?
When I was a sophomore I took Stats for Professionals. As a junior I took Calculus.

I understand you play cello.
Yes, when I was 12 I attended a concert, saw the cello and became interested in it. I was in Lima Youth Orchestra and am also now in the ONU symphony.

What orchestral music do you like?
Schubert, Tchaikovsky and Dvorak come to mind.

How about contemporary music?
I listen to Spotify, so I can look up specific songs. This is funny; I really like the new Justin Bieber album. It got me through finals week.

What activities do you participate in at Ada High School?
I’m on the National Honor Society, quiz bowl and in Book Club. I like to read biographies and non-fiction. I like Kurt Vonnegut and Joseph Heller.

How many books might you read in a year?
Maybe 30.

Tell me about your sports competition and some of your best times.
I’m in cross country and I’ve run the course in 22:10. In swimming I compete in the 50 and 100 freestyle. In track I’m in the 4 by 8 relay, 1600 with a best time of 6:06, and the 3200 with a best time of 13:50. I’d like to break a 6-minute mile.

With all these activities do you have time to do anything outside school? How much time do you spend on homework each weeknight?
Between four and five hours a night, depending upon the homework.

Do you have brothers or sisters?
I have an older sister, Mena, who lives in Boston. She graduated from Ada High School in 2004. She is the manager of assessment and advisory services for the Center of Effective Philanthropy, a non-profit organization.

What about your college plans.
I’d like to become a chemical engineer. I like math and chemistry. I’d like to specialize in bio medical engineering.

Where might you attend college?
Either Purdue or Ohio State. I’m looking for scholarship and it depends upon which campus I feel at home in.

I understand that you were born in the U.S. and you hold dual U.S.-Bulgarian citizenship. What language do you speak at home?

I speak Bulgarian at home. I’m fluent in it. My family is from Bulgaria. We go there every summer for two months. I like to travel and hike there. In Bulgaria sometimes when speaking, Bulgarian people can identify my accent as American.

Do you think in Bulgarian?
Yes.

You create some amazing art works.
Art is a part of me that I can’t get rid of. Ceramics pulls me in. I like to create functional pottery…vases, plates and mugs.

Can I commission you to create a coffee mug for me?
Yes.

Thanks for talking to me and good luck in the future.

Section: