"A man who always takes advantage of his opportunities" – this is how Stefan describes himself. Applying to UWC is a basic example of how he manifests that description in his everyday life – he told me in one of the interviews "if you don't select me now, I'll apply again next year". After everything I have learned about him, I will try to translate Stefan into a textual format, hoping that you will unequivocally agree with him and me.

Stefan wants to try everything - from an early age he tried training several sports such as karate, swimming, tennis, athletics, and even hip-hop dancing. However, his favorite sport is skiing… by himself. This is not something that is in character with Stefan if we look at the other activities he practices, but skiing gives him the chance to relax and enjoy his routes and on his terms. Even when he is not sure whether he will enjoy new experiences, it is very important for him not to have any regrets. This conversation was supported by an experience he had in Austria, where Stefan participated in a UWC short course. It's probably one of his mother's least favorite endeavors that Stefan has taken on – swimming in a glacier. He got a cold afterwards that passed quickly, which is much less important than the experience and friendships from that trip that he will remember forever.

Although it was not the main topic of conversation, music is very important to Stefan. From a young age, he attended music lessons in the music school Luj, where he started playing the piano and singing. "It's not that I have such a developed taste in music" - said Stefan modestly - "but I really like to sing – I make smoothies in the kitchen and my folks at home have to listen to me." After finishing nine years of music school, Stefan started playing the guitar. He likes classical music, but recently he started playing jazz. I think jazz fits well with Stefan's character – I can imagine how much persistence it takes to learn jazz songs.

Something that left a strong impression on me is the energy and commitment he has. This can be seen in his everyday life, but also in small moments in conversation. Contrary to how he would describe himself, for me Stefan is a great conversationalist. When he answered questions throughout the selection process and in our informal conversations, he always found an original way to keep the conversation going, whether with interesting facts or recommendations – you could never be bored in his presence. Especially when he talks about something he is fond of or something he has put a lot of effort into, Stefan's face lights up and he speaks with a smile. When we asked him about his video from the third round, he immediately began to tell us about his thought process - "I wanted to show that all the adventures and stories of the past make you who you are, so I got the idea with the CD as an already outdated concept, to talk about what has been so far and how I have developed into the current Stefan." With every sentence he opens up space for people to want to ask him more about his experiences and to get to know him even better.

Stefan is a source of positivity and I am sure that he will fit in well in the environment of UWC Adriatic – there are many more opportunities for adventures ahead of him which he will undoubtedly seize.

Jana Kraleva,
August 2024