11th anniversary of Alumni Club MIO

On the third weekend of October 2022 Alumni Club MIO invited in Svishtov enthusiastic participants to take part in the program events for its 11th anniversary. The Club was established on March 12, 2011 in Svishtov and consists of graduates (‘alumni’) of specialties at the Department of International Economic Relations at the local Tsenov Academy of Economics. For these 11 years, the registered participants on the Club page www.alumnimio.club are more than 170 people, all of whom graduated bachelor in International Economic Relations, in one of the master's programs at the department of the same name, or added the scientific degree PhD to their name from the doctoral program ‘World economy and International Economic Relations’.
The current meeting of the club went under the title ‘River antics’ because of the choice of place for the main event in the program - the Club’s General Assembly. The warm weather allowed the participants to go boating and kayaking along the Danube River and gather at noon at the western end of Vardim Island, located opposite the village of the same name, a few kilometers from Svishtov. At 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, October 15, on the scenic beach of the island, overlooking the hills of the town of Svishtov and near the fairway of the river, the club members voted to elect a new Board of Directors with a mandate of 2022-2027. The seven-member council includes Anna Karshovska-Mateva (class of 1997), Dragomir Iliev (class of 2005), Iva Vasileva-Tomova (class of 2005), Martin Peev (class of 2001), Martin Stoyanov (class of 2001), Milen Metev (class of 2003) and Orlin Penkov (class of 1998). Plamen Mihov, a 2001 graduate, was elected Chairman of the club. Plamen's career includes positions in companies such as Coca-Cola, ProCredit Bank, Heineken-Zagorka, Sarten Bulgaria, Studio Moderna, Bella Bulgaria, and Amway Bulgaria.

Holding the meeting in nature was a gesture of respect by the participants to their friend and colleague Head Assist. Simeon Momchev, PhD, full member of the Club, supporter and organizer of unforgettable tourist trips for students with the opportunity for informal communication outside the academic classrooms. Moni left us for good at the end of August this year.

Prof. Yoto Yotov, graduate of the specialty from the class of 2000, full member of the Club, professor of Economics at Drexel University, USA and research professor at the ifo Institute, Germany, also took part in the Alumni Club MIO’s events. Prof. Yotov held a course on ‘Analysis of trade policy with the Structural Gravity Model’ from October 11 to 13 at the Academy of Economics - Svishtov, and on October 14 he led a discussion with research supervisors and doctoral students on the topic ‘Scientific writing and publishing’, part of a project under the Fulbright Specialist Program and organized jointly with the Alumni Club.

On the evening of October 15, alumni and friends gathered for an Autumn Ball in the restaurant of the Nove Hotel in the town of Svishtov. At an official ceremony, four of the alumni were awarded the status of full members and received a certificate with an honorary badge with the Club's coat of arms. These are Assoc. Prof. Zdravko Lyubenov (class of 2009, badge No. 28), Sofia Vergilova-Georgieva, PhD (class of 2011, badge No. 29), Sen. Lect. Margarita Mihaylova, PhD (class of 2000, badge No. 30) and Assoc. Prof. Karina Sarkisyan-Dikova (class of 2007, badge No. 31). The guests of the event had the opportunity to see each other in person after a two-year break, to discuss both professional changes and future commitments to the Alumni Club, and at the end of the evening, to take pictures and taste the traditional themed cake for the event.

On Sunday, October 16, 2022, those wishing to test their strength on the basketball court gathered at 10:30 a.m. in the renovated Septemvri Sports Hall in Svishtov. The game was evenly matched, but in the end, the experience and skills of the ‘Teachers’ team against the ‘Students’ team decisively prevailed for the victory.

More information about Alumni Club MIO at: www.alumnimio.club