Kneading bread dough is a miracle. At the beginning you have only flour, water and salt. And then you create magic with your hands. Lazar is kneading the dough and his eyes are gleaming.
His entire life, he’s been dreaming of working with bread. He graduated from the Bread and Confectionery Technology High School in Sofia, which is where he first discovered his passion. Now, Lazar Kirilov is a graduated engineer with a degree in “Sugar, Bread and Confectionery Technology”.
Like every young person, while he was studying, he felt he lost his way.
“In 2014 I was a young boy who didn’t know what I wanted from life. And then a friend of mine told me about the opportunities offered by “Arete”. I applied to the “Forward Together” program almost as a joke, and then it turned out to be the most amazing adventure I’ve been on. After the camp, I became a volunteer for the foundation.“.
“Arete” had his back when he decided to pursue higher education. Snezhina Slaveva, head of the education program of the foundation, made a trip with him to the Food Technology University in Plovdiv. This inspired him to apply and study even more.
The “Information and Education Centre” program of the “Arete” Youth Foundation aims to support young people who want to pursue higher education. Through info sessions and visits to universities in the country, as well as through mentorship, “Aretes”’ team helps young people choose the right degree and university. Every year, 120 high schoolers are presented with opportunities to continue their studies. Nearly 25 teachers work with 50 students every year.
“Arete” is one of Trust for Social Achievement’s many partners through which we achieve our mission to help more young people study, graduate and continue with their professional and personal development. For the past ten years, TSA has funded youth camps in which about 600 high schoolers have taken part. Thanks to the socialization and motivation they receive during the events, over a third of the students apply to university and continue with their studies. Among them is Lazar, who was accepted into his first choice of university. Currently, he’s at the end of his bachelor’s degree and wants to continue onto a master’s.
“Through all these years I had an amazing person by my side, a true professional. My personal and academic mentor, the vice dean of the Faculty of Economics, Associate Professor Ivan Obreshkov. Whenever I call him, he greets me with care, ready to help in any way that he can.
And then, he cites Churchill: “Success is not final; failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
Trust
