A New Generation Rises: BEST Foundation Holds Annual Student Leader Training

At the start of the new academic year, BEST Foundation organizes several trainings for new management team members, coaches, and student leaders. The Student Leader Program, one of our most valuable programs, is another initiative of BEST Foundation, which allows ambitious students to learn how to become the new leaders of tomorrow! 

On 4-5 October 2025, 45 high school students came to the captivating city of Blagoevgrad. They gathered in the building of our amazing partners, the American University in Bulgaria, to take part in numerous training sessions. These sessions aimed to improve their leadership skills, teach them how to support their school’s speech and debate teams throughout the academic year, and help them understand how to realize their community projects. The students were welcomed into the programs by our dedicated Student Leader Coordinators, Vyara Bagryanova and Stoil Mirchev, alongside our Executive Director Vanya Zlateva and Sabina Wien, Dean of Students at AUBG. 

The Student Leaders also had the opportunity to attend two lectures by outstanding professionals. The first, “Telling Stories with Data,” was presented by Samuil Mladenov, an Associate Data Scientist at PwC and a fourth-year student at the American University in Bulgaria. The second, “How to Start a Business from Scratch,” was delivered by Dr. Nadislav Veselinov, founder and chief engineer of the Sofia Planetarium, an aviation engineer, and a physicist with a PhD in planetary aviation from Sofia University. 

During the weekend, students were divided into groups and paired with mentors from our management team, who guided them during the tasks of developing a mock community project, preparing for upcoming tasks that they will have as Student Leaders during the academic year. The newly appointed Student Leaders showcased strong commitment and determination, and we look forward to seeing the impact of their efforts throughout the year!