“I’m very happy to study here!”

Why did you decide to study at the University of Mannheim?

I decided to study in Germany because I learned German at school back in Bulgaria. My level of proficiency was C1 and I didn’t want to lose these skills. At the same time, I knew that there was a large Bulgarian community in Mannheim—a fact that had a huge influence on my decision. I’m very glad that I’m studying here! The Mannheim program in Psychology is highly rated in international rankings, and I am impressed by the modern teaching materials. And to be honest, I also decided to study in Mannheim because I liked the idea of studying in a palace building (laughs). 

Have you always wanted to study Psychology?

My enthusiasm for the subject was awakened early on in school during our “psychology and logic” lessons. I was very interested in learning more about human thoughts and emotions. I also think it’s fascinating to understand how our upbringing can have a lifelong impact on us and how people handle challenges in life in very different ways. I would like to leverage my empathy and open-mindedness to support my fellow human beings as a therapist in coping with and mastering precisely these challenges. 

Is there anything that you miss from your home country?

The great thing about Mannheim is that there is a large Bulgarian community which is why there isn’t a lot that I miss. For example, the city has a Bulgarian grocery story and a Bulgarian church. This makes it easy to meet other Bulgarians. The only thing that I could not bring to Mannheim are my friends and family. I miss them sometimes, but I always visit them during the semester break.

Speaking of Bulgaria: you are chairing the Bulgarian student organization Bai Ganyo. How did that come about?

Yes, I have been chairing the student organization for the past two years now and I have been a member ever since I started studying in Mannheim. At first, I took on smaller tasks, but I enjoyed getting involved so much that I first became vice chair and then chair of the organization. I really enjoy organizing events and bringing people together. Be it a party, a national holiday, or a career-related event: we work together on our project ideas, and I highly value the creative exchange. Only recently, we organized the 20th anniversary of the student organization. Even some of the founding members arrived from abroad to join the event, which made me very proud.

You have already gained a lot of work experience during your studies. What area are you most interested in?

At the beginning of my program, I worked as a dance teacher for the Institute of Sports. I stopped working there as I started to work as a student assistant at the chair for Educational Psychology. It’s very exciting for me to get involved in the research projects and being able to put my knowledge from the courses into practice. During the semester break, I’ve completed internships to get an insight into other professional fields as well. I worked in the human resources department at Lidl in Bulgaria for two months, helping to set up and conduct recruitment tests and job interviews. And I completed an internship in a psychiatric hospital for people with addiction. This experience really touched me, because I often had conversations with people of my own age in group therapy sessions. I realized how difficult life can be after suffering severe blows of fate, and that I want to help people overcome their problems after completing my degree. 

What do you do in your free time?

I love to be creative. It provides the perfect balance to university life. I’m interested in photography, I sing, write poems, and play the ukulele. I've been posting content on my Instagram account for some time now; some of my Bulgarian cover versions have even been liked or reposted by the original singers. That made me very happy because, at first, it took me a lot of courage to put the songs and poems online. 

Do you already know what you will be doing after you’ve finished your bachelor’s degree?

I would like to train as a psychotherapist and therefore pursue the relevant master’s degree in Mannheim or Heidelberg. Because the stigma associated with mental illness is so much more pronounced in Bulgaria than here, I would like to work as a therapist there. My aim is to apply all the knowledge I have acquired here to help further develop the psychiatric sector in Bulgaria. I know it will be a challenging time, but that’s not a problem because I love challenges. 

Interview: Tina Ratajczyk / May 2025