Meet TTS Scholar Isabel Mitkova, Class of 2025-26
This month we are spotlighting Isabel Mitkova, one of our amazing 2025-2026 scholars. Isabel is originally from Bulgaria and is pursuing a Master degree in Dance/Movement Therapy at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, New York. We checked in with her to hear about how her studies are going.
How are your studies going? What has been most exciting and what are you looking forward to?
Honestly, my studies are going very well. This period of my life feels both deeply inspiring and undeniably scary – in the best possible way. I am currently in my second semester (Spring 2026), and I completed my first semester with a perfect GPA.
What excites me most is the embodied experience of learning itself. The moments when I can literally sense new ideas moving through my body, awakening curiosity and expanding my perception. At Sarah Lawrence College, what resonates most deeply with me is the program’s commitment to understanding the body as an integrated, intelligent system rather than a purely technical instrument. The faculty encourage us to approach movement with curiosity rather than correction, and to explore where movement originates emotionally, psychologically, and somatically.
The Dance/Movement Therapy program treats the body as a source of knowledge, memory, and healing, not simply as an artistic tool. We are invited to slow down, to notice sensation, impulse, and gesture, and to observe how past experiences live within the body. Many classes intentionally blur the line between technique and inner inquiry, working with breath, touch, imagery, and sensation in ways that feel restorative rather than performative.
What feels especially meaningful is the emphasis on therapeutic presence, learning how to witness another person’s body without judgment, to attune, respond, and create safety through movement and empathy. This approach aligns deeply with my belief that healing begins with noticing and that dance can restore agency, foster connection, and help individuals rewrite the stories held in their bodies.
The program also values congruency between inner experience and outward expression, something I have been exploring for many years. Here, that exploration is given structure, language, and clinical grounding. I am learning not only how movement heals me, but how to hold space for others as they discover their own embodied pathways to healing.
I am especially excited about my fieldwork placement at Riverdale Neighborhood House, where I work with children aged three to four. This experience has strengthened my observational and relational skills and has deepened my appreciation for early relational movement and nonverbal communication. As I begin internship interviews, I feel both excited and supported, ready to step further into practice while still held by the guidance of my professors, peers, and supervisors.
What do you hope to do after your studies?
Looking ahead, I am most excited about contributing to the development of Dance/Movement Therapy in Bulgaria, where the field is still emerging. I feel a strong sense of responsibility to help shape its foundations in ways that are ethical, culturally responsive, and accessible.
One of my long-term dreams is to create a dedicated space in Bulgaria where dance/movement therapy, artistic residencies, and community programs can coexist. I imagine a place that meets people exactly where they are, while offering the safety, support, and imagination needed to build a reality of where they can go – a space for healing, experimentation, and shared becoming.
In terms of research, I am deeply drawn to the concept of vulnerability as a responsible choice, not as weakness, but as relational courage. I am interested in exploring how vulnerability, when held within a therapeutic or communal container, can become a powerful mechanism for both personal and collective healing.
Being away from Bulgaria has also sharpened my understanding that ethics is not confined to the therapy room. Ethics lives in systems, in access to care, in laws, and in whether people are treated with dignity. The demonstrations taking place in Bulgaria, where people gather to demand justice, transparency, and the right to a livable life, are not separate from my therapeutic identity. They embody the same principles we uphold in therapy: safety, truth-telling, boundaries, and agency.
In this sense, ethics becomes both personal and political. It becomes an embodied stance, a commitment not only to sit beside others, but to stand with them. Healing, for me, is never purely individual; it is collective. Ethics is a dance, requiring presence, responsiveness, and a willingness to move with complexity.
My body will always be my first instrument in this work. My personal history will continue to shape my sensitivity, and my cultural roots will guide my commitment to bridging worlds – between art and therapy, between individuals and communities, and between Bulgaria and the wider field.
Tell us more about your experience as a Thanks To Scandinavia scholar. How has it impacted you?
What has surprised me most about my experience as a Thanks To Scandinavia scholar is how deeply human this support has felt. Beyond the financial assistance, which in itself is life-changing, there is a profound sense of trust, care, and belief embedded in being chosen. It is not anonymous support; it feels personal. It feels like someone has looked at my path and said, we see you, and we want to walk with you for a part of this journey.
Being supported by Thanks To Scandinavia has been a quiet but constant reminder to remain humble and grateful. It has encouraged me to carry my studies with a deeper sense of responsibility, not only to my own growth, but to the communities and contexts I come from and will return to. Knowing that others believe in my potential strengthens my commitment to use this education ethically, generously, and in service of others.
One moment that captures this feeling of care and belonging was during a shared weekend with fellow scholars, especially a dinner at Laurie Sprayregen’s home, which she lovingly cooked for us. Where I come from, inviting someone into your home and cooking for them is a gesture of deep care – it is how we say you belong here. At a time when I was missing home, that evening offered warmth, connection, and a sense of being held. It reminded me that support is not only institutional; it is relational. That sense of community has stayed with me.
This experience has also reinforced my belief that learning and healing are never solitary acts. Being part of a network shaped by generosity and shared values has deepened my awareness of how knowledge travels – through people, through care, through moments of genuine human connection. It has inspired me to imagine how I might one day offer similar support to others, especially in places where access to education and healing practices is still limited.
I carry immense gratitude for Thanks To Scandinavia – for believing in my potential, for trusting my vision, and for supporting me during a period of intense learning and transformation. This support is something I hold with reverence. It reminds me that my path forward is not mine alone, and that every step I take is part of a larger web of care, responsibility, and shared becoming.
What do you enjoy outside of your studies?
Outside of my studies, I enjoy a wide range of creative and intellectual practices, though I will honestly say that my schedule leaves limited free time. I currently perform in a graduate student thesis project, and I continue to draw, read, and dance whenever space allows.
Much of my time beyond coursework is still devoted to learning. I pursue additional training with the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies and plan to participate in intensive summer programs, including Orsolina28 in Italy, where I will attend a Gaga for Therapists intensive led by Ohad Naharin. These experiences allow me to deepen my embodied research and to remain in dialogue with international movement practices.
Anything else you’d like to share?
I would like to express my deep gratitude for the belief placed in me and for the support I have received throughout this journey. Being trusted, encouraged, and accompanied during this period of growth has strengthened not only my academic path, but also my sense of responsibility to give back – with care, integrity, and presence.