Heritage

I was born and raised in Skopje, Macedonia. Regardless of where my current doormat is, Skopje will always remain home. I moved out somewhere near the end of my Bachelor’s degree studies at Justinianus Primus Law School, to pursue a Master’s degree in Global Public Policy at RANEPA, located in Moscow. Aside from the great academic experience that I went received, RANEPA was definitely an eye-opening educational institution, as well as a truly open forum for the exchange of ideas that could never leave you indifferent. During this period, I interned at the Center of Resource Economies and through my research, I became familiar with a few of the intricacies related to the Oil and Gas field and how it coexists and stems from domestic and international power relations. Moreover, I was also fortunate enough to be a part of the American Institute of Political and Economic Systems: first as a student and then as a program assistant, where I had the chance to learn more about conflict management, political economy, and philosophy. It was a true pleasure to be a part of an amazing team that magically ran all of the behind-the-scenes operations. It was at AIPES that I got the opportunity to meet more than 400 people from 60 different countries and build relationships that I continue to nurture up until this day. They not only had a huge impact on me as a person but also with respect to my future career and my general outlook on life. From Moscow, I continued with an LL.M. in Business Law in Central Europe at Charles University Law School in Prague. As soon as I completed the regular semester and presented my thesis, I was lucky enough to drop my next anchor in Shanghai. This was because I started working for LearningLeaders, which is an educational consulting company that specializes in providing services in the fields of debate and public speaking. Being able to utilize my passion for education and critical thinking, paired with the fact that I was surrounded by a great group of people, made Shanghai feel just like Skopje even though it is located halfway across the planet.

Success Story

There are three personal achievements that I want to highlight. The first one is staying in touch with friends and family. Despite the fact that we do not always share the same physical space, I am proud to say that I still do regular calls with my close ones. Second, I am exceptionally proud of all of my students in debate and public speaking. Seeing them get up in front of an audience to make their voices heard from an early age while they go through the fear of feeling shame and humiliation is a true superpower. Every student who has raised their voice in class is a hero in my eyes. My last and most important achievement is the realization that failure can be as good of an acquaintance as success is. Any rejection email or a failed meeting is as valuable as an acceptance letter or a new business opportunity.

Giving Back to the Homeland

After experiencing 2020, I realized that it is almost impossible to make precise plans for our futures. However, I will keep my fingers crossed and I hope that these upcoming years will be better for all of us.