Following her passion

“For as long as I remember, I have always been very passionate about education. It is one of the things that my parents ingrained in me early on in life: to be appreciative and make the most of the opportunities and the access to quality education that I had been fortunate enough to have. Part of it relates to learning about my mom’s experience of being unable to continue to fifth grade right away because girls were not let to walk to the neighbouring village where the only classes for fifth-graders were offered that year, only to later become the first female from her village to attend university.

Knowing from my own experience how profoundly education can affect people’s lives, I have chosen a career in academia. At the same time, I remain active in various initiatives outside the classroom. To that end, with access to education still being a challenge to girls in some parts of Macedonia, together with a few inspiring friends and colleagues, some of whom are also CEU alumni, we are currently working on starting a mentorship and support network for girls and women in higher education, while also initiating a nationwide discussion on the systemic and societal hurdles that prevent women from reaching their potential. The initiative is called Stella and we are very excited to kickstart it this forthcoming September.”