My name is Plamena Vasileva, and I live in the village of Skobelevо, in the Haskovo region — a village with a predominantly Roma population. Most people here have little education and work in agriculture, while some leave to work abroad. Increasingly, young people finish secondary school, speak good Bulgarian, and attend classes regularly. Our biggest challenges are financial barriers and conservative attitudes toward girls.
My family has four members — my parents, my sister, and me. They have only primary education and work as general laborers in a factory. My sister has a university degree but doesn’t work in her field. We make a living solely from my parents’ salaries.
I have always dreamed of becoming a doctor. In 2018, I attended a medical preparatory course*, but I fell just short of being admitted and ended up enrolling as a Medical Laboratory Technician. I had come to terms with it, but I secretly kept dreaming about Medicine.
When I applied for the course again, I was filled with anxiety and mixed emotions — fear of another disappointment, but also a strong determination to succeed. I worked shifts, often nights, and sometimes traveled to Sofia straight after work so as not to burden my family.
The support I received from my family, my teachers, and especially Prof. Tarnev gave me the strength to keep going. The material wasn’t impossible, but it was difficult to balance studying and working at the same time. Sometimes I feared I would fail again.
When I found out I had been accepted, my joy was overwhelming. My mom cried tears of happiness. My friends and people in the neighborhood celebrated sincerely — they were proud that they would have a doctor who could help them one day. Even my colleagues at work admired me for succeeding despite the challenges.
Now, my plan is to fully dedicate myself to studying, though the financial barrier remains my biggest worry. I know I’ll have to work to cover the costs of the six-year program. Still, I believe in myself and will give everything I have to become a good doctor.
My dream is to help people in our community, many of whom have no health insurance and no access to a doctor. I want my example to inspire young girls to believe that they, too, can study and achieve their dreams.
A year later
My first year as a medical student remains the most dynamic and challenging year of my life so far. Even then, I felt that this was the path I had been waiting and dreaming for so long. Although I didn’t face major difficulties with studying, life presented challenges that shook me deeply. To become independent and support myself, I started working on weekends — Fridays or Sundays — which required tremendous effort to balance work and study.
Just after the first semester, I faced the hardest blow: my father had a work accident and lost his right forearm. At that moment, an even greater responsibility fell on me. As the only family member studying Medicine, and already a trained medical laboratory technician, I took care of him while continuing to study and work. It was a true test of my strength — both physical and emotional.
And yet — I succeeded. I passed all my exams, despite the immense effort and sacrifices. This year taught me that Medicine is not just a dream or a title — it is a demanding, responsible path that requires sacrifices. At the same time, it showed me why there is nothing more powerful or beautiful than the smile of a patient you’ve helped, and the hope you’ve restored in their eyes.
Now, a year later, I know for certain — becoming a doctor is not just my dream; it is the purpose of my life.
Plamena is a participant in preparatory courses in Biology, Chemistry, and Bulgarian Language & Literature, part of the project “Candidate-student courses for young people of Roma origin for admission to medical universities in Bulgaria”—funded by TSA and implemented by the Health Problems of Minorities Foundation (HPMF).
In the 2024/2025 academic year, all 6 participants in the course were admitted to study Medicine or Pharmacy – their top choice. Over the past 20 years, more than 100 young Roma girls and boys have taken part in the Biology and Chemistry preparatory courses organized by Prof. Ivaylo Tarnev and his HPMF team.
Over 60 of them have gone on to study Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, and other health-related fields. Today, most are working as doctors in leading Bulgarian hospitals, in smaller municipal hospitals, and in emergency medical centers.
The project seeks to help overcome barriers to preparation and admission for Roma students aspiring to study Medicine, Dentistry, and Pharmacy. We provide highly motivated young people with free access to life-changing preparatory courses. Despite these efforts, many youth still face difficulties, as they come from working poor families and towns with limited opportunities.
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Reference: “Medical students”
The account belongs to the National Network of Health Mediators.