SPOTLIGHTING ALUMNI
1. Having graduated from ASM three years ago, what are you doing now, and how did your path develop after leaving school?
I have completed the third year of my undergraduate studies in Psychology at University American College Skopje (UACS). I have dedicated my time to psychotherapy training to eventually become a Gestalt psychotherapist. As of now, I am a Gestalt Psychotherapist (in-training). I am also a research assistant, focusing on conducting scientific studies specifically in second language acquisition in the area of Cognitive Psychology. I am currently working at HERA’s First Family Center of Skopje. I am the copy editor of my university’s student-ran magazine ‘Star Gazer’, as well as being a writer focusing on topics within psychology.
2. What do you remember most clearly about your time at ASM — something that still stands out today?
I remember the supportive learning environment that nurtured my curiosity. The teachers who were always there to answer any questions I had. The environment that helped me think critically about the material I was studying, not just learn it by heart. I felt supported as a student and as a teenager who was coming of age during a global pandemic. I fondly remember all of the projects I worked on with my classmates. They pushed us to learn new skills that are usually undermined in high school education. ASM has a very fond place in my heart because it is the place in which I formed close friendships that continue to nourish and enhance my life to this day.
3. During the COVID period, you collaborated on a short film project with a classmate from another city. What was that experience like, and what did you take away from working in that way?
It was a truly new and unique experience working in separate cities on the same movie. It is a project that is still dear to my heart. This experience taught me to trust my collaborators, to be patient, and to understand that distance can be overcome by good communication. Education, especially in literature, can be done in so many different creative ways that ASM is not afraid to embrace in all subjects. I am grateful that I was given the privilege to learn through such experiential methods.
4. What are your current plans for the future and what do you hope to gain from them?
ASM helped me understand that all sciences are interconnected and see the value of bridging different disciplines. Since high school I had a passion for Biology and the various social subjects that we covered (government, economy, journalism…). This helped nurture the passion for science I now have which is leading me to pursue a masters degree in the interdisciplinary field of Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience. I hope to make a positive contribution to peoples lives by being a Gestalt psychotherapist, and to empirical science by being a researcher.