Iliana Lazarova, Thanks To Scandinavia Scholar at Yale University
“Bulgaria’s air is dirtiest in Europe, study finds,” is not the headline any country would like to have on their record. But it sure allows for a great conversation with a Bulgarian native who studies environmental management and is passionate about solutions to environmental degradation.
Iliana Lazarova, a 2014-15 TTS Scholar studying towards her Masters in Sustainable Development at Yale University, has the charm of ambition and is clear-eyed and level-headed about the journey she has embarked on: towards change, both of the environment and her own country’s destiny. Devoted and determined, she is actively looking for ways to make change happen. She has the will to transform her concerns into opportunities and to pursue a better future for her fellow Balkan countrymen.
“I am an optimist about future change in my country,” she says. “Being in the United States gives me a different perspective and I am learning how to design viable solutions.”
Iliana refers to the Kuznets curve when trying to explain the status of environmental progress in Bulgaria. “The relationship between environmental quality and the economic development is coupled; as the economy grows and standard of living increases, gradually the environment is viewed as a valuable public good and is better protected. Bulgaria is slowly ramping up the curve. Environmental damages were never in the news until we started experiencing some natural disasters as consequences of deforestation, soil collapse and increased water levels. Now people are starting to pay attention. ”
Bulgaria has been a member of the European Union since January 2007. The national legislation is changing slowly under the European directives. “The European framework has helped a lot, but we have a long way to go,” says Iliana.
Iliana is a grateful recipient of the Thanks To Scandinavia scholarship. “10 years ago I heard about Fulbright scholarships through the American Bulgarian Commission as a great opportunity to pursue graduate studies in the United States. Ever since I have wanted to be part of it and now it is a reality. The Commission offered the option to apply for additional funding through Thanks to Scandinavia grant. One of the requirements was to write an essay on the topic of tolerance and multiculturalism with specific emphasis on the rescue of Bulgarian Jews. I submitted an essay and was called in for an interview with the Bulgarian Jewish organization Shalom.” Iliana was awarded Thanks To Scandinavia’s Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Scholarship and the Eugene and Emily Grant Scholarship.
The story of the Jewish rescue in Bulgaria was and is being taught in the school system, but in Iliana’s view, in rather limited in scope. “It is something we should be proud of and talk about even more so now.” Iliana believes that the most fascinating aspect of the rescue was that people from civil society were the ones who stood up against the oppressors, prominent teachers, people in social standing started signing a petition that was submitted to the Parliament. People stood up against the unfair treatment of the Jews.
“When I left Bulgaria for the United States for the first time, I did not know what to expect. My grandmother told me always to be proud, I recall. I will always be proud to be Bulgarian with its rich history, despite its current turbulence. I am proud of its legacy. At this point I am trying to reconcile the past and the future and reflect on the many things that need to be done in Bulgaria.”
Iliana is a member of ABLE, the Association of the Bulgarian Leaders and Entrepreneurs, a non-governmental organization, established by alumni of Bulgarian Young Leaders Program (BYLP). “Our mission is to develop active civil society, inspire leadership and promote entrepreneurial culture in Bulgaria” she says. Iliana has also served as a Youth Delegate of Bulgaria to the United Nations.
Iliana is passionate about education. She has been part of Teach For Bulgaria, a non-profit organization that aims to provide every child in Bulgaria access to quality education through encouraging and preparing capable and ambitious young people to become inspiring teachers and leaders. “Our education is the most important and powerful leverage to create change. Shifting paradigms and changing perceptions of people takes time and maybe even generations. But behavioral change is what we ultimately need in order to prosper and do things in a different way,” says Iliana.
Her ambition is to create a community and unite a generation of critical, creative thinkers by increasing the number of Bulgarian students attending the world’s leading universities, who then give back and pay it forward.
If you ever meet her, you may agree with me that she might very well be the one to pull it off.