photos from personal archive

In September 1991, AUBG welcomed its first entering class. Alexander Hristov was one of the 208 students enthusiastic about experiencing the American style of education, which at the time was still an experiment for the region. Despite the lack of proper campus facilities, the underdeveloped majors and the occasional burglaries in the dormitories, Alexander said he has only pleasant memories of AUBG. Although he transferred to the University of Houston after his sophomore year, AUBG still has a place in his heart and in his memories.

Today Alexander and his fiancée, Alexandra Grashkina-Hristov, live in Boston and are preparing for their wedding which will take place in Bulgaria in May. After completing his bachelor's degree, Alexander concentrated on his professional development in the area of identity and access management. He worked on the design and implementation of an in-house IDM solution for the largest oil service company Schlumberger, bet later on decided to follow his own path. "The latter gave me enough experience and insights to let free the entrepreneurial bug inside me and six years ago I embraced the American Dream by starting my own consulting business."

Alexander decided that he wants to go to AUBG three days before the admission application deadline. "Many applicants didn't know what the TOEFL or SAT examinations were. So, it was really a matter of luck to submit your application on time," he said. One of Alexander's vivid memories about those first years of AUBG existence is the lack of university network and Internet access. "I still remember the first successful File Transfer Protocol (FTP) access over to a server in Vienna." A major issue at the time was that there was no academic integrity in the learning process and plagiarism occurred often. It was not until his sophomore year that Alexander had access to a computer lab in the dormitory. "Prior to that, typing was almost unheard of and most students were submitting hand-written papers," he added.

Probably the worst memory Alexander has about the dormitory life at AUBG is the burglary of his room, which left him and his roommate robbed of most of their belongings. "Back then, the dorm security was a joke and dealing with the local police was proved fruitless." After the incident, bars were installed on all first-floor windows of the Hilltop dormitory.

"For many, including myself, academic success was less of a concern, as we partied the nights away and didn't care much about grades," Alexander said about his first years at AUBG. "Vodenitsata" and "Gubata," two restaurants near the former Hilltop dormitory, were the primary venues where Alexander and his friends used to hang out.

"I think Alex has been really influenced by AUBG even though he transferred to another school," his fiancée Alexandra said. She continued to tell the story of how he proposed to her: "We were in a plane flying over Arizona and about to do our first sky-dive jump. He proposed, I said ‘Yes,' and then we both jumped from a height of 3,000 meters."

The lack of a variety of Computer Science courses influenced Alexander's decision to transfer to Houston University in his junior year. At AUBG, Alexander took a variety of classes outside his major. The most inspiring course for him was in theatre directing and he started appearing in university plays regularly. "Professor Al Cyrus brought new life to the arts arena by heading the first two university performances: ‘Our Town' by Thornton Wilder, and ‘Rhinoceros' by Eugene Ionesco."  In October 2009, Alexander acted in the first Bulgarian Amateur Theater play in Boston "When Thunder Strikes" by Peyo Yavorov, directed by his fiancée.

Alexander says he hopes future AUBG alumni understand that the most memorable part of university life are the long lasting friendships. "Much of what's being learned in a classroom would not apply in the real world, yet developing an insatiable appetite for diverse knowledge is what would make a difference." And never settle for a job you don't feel like doing day in and day out, Alexander added.

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Very nice article, enjoyed reading it a lot. And I am continously happy to hear more and more AUBG Alumnus' success stories.

Thursday 25 February 2010, 08:36

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