He wants to study informatics, likes foreign languages, philosophy and sports
For Ivelin Ivanov, the adventure called debating began just one year ago. His teacher is looking for debaters in German and he decides to take part because he has a good command of the language and wants to be more active in school activities.
The “Youth Debates” competition takes place in several rounds: school, regional, national and international. At the final, which took place in Berlin, only four qualified, including Evelyn. He describes his victory as difficult, but he is satisfied with the result.
His preparation begins even before leaving for Germany. He had to prepare for 4 topics in two weeks, which he had not had to do before. He practices at home by rehearsing his speeches on his own, following his teacher’s advice to use a stuffed toy to speak in front of.
Another method he uses is to debate with himself in front of the mirror. It is important for him to use different sources of information for each topic so as not to limit his point of view.
“A big reading fell, and I also had to deal with stress. In the final, we were all very worried, even though all four of us were very capable,” he says. He believes that their anxiety prevented them from giving their best.
Although he won the final debate in Berlin, for Ivelin his best performance was at the national round in Stara Zagora. He does not think there is a debate in German that he has lost. He defines his participation in a school debate as a poor performance because he did not spend enough time preparing and overestimated his knowledge of the subject. However, this does not stop him from moving forward and developing his skills.
He learns not to concentrate on the audience, but rather on the words of the other debaters, because it is very important to listen carefully and take notes in order to do well.
Overcoming the fear of speaking in front of an audience made Evelyn enter the competitions
after the debate.
And later he realizes that this is also a very good way to meet new people.
“When I won, I felt a lot of emotions. I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so happy and fulfilled. All my relatives were happy for me. I’m especially grateful for the contacts and self-confidence I gained from it,” he shares.
The person who most contributed to his interest in debating was his philosophy teacher Mrs. Siyana Mandazhieva. During class, she shows Evelyn and his classmates the structure of a debate and teaches them to improve their rhetoric. He went to Berlin with him and managed to see his final debate.
Already in the eighth grade, Evelyn realized that she had an interest in the subject. He shared that he was always told that he was a great philosopher. So he decided to register a “Philosophy” profile and in the end his decision turned him into a winner.
His great passion, however, turns out to be informatics. As a child, he took courses in computer science and mathematics, which he also enjoyed. According to him, it was mathematics that helped him become more analytical, which is key to doing well in debates. His desire is to study computer science in Germany, but not in one of the big cities. He chose Aachen because he would feel more relaxed there. He has also recently become interested in programming languages. He likes to learn things that can be useful in his future work.
Ivelin was born in the Silistren village of Tsar Samuil, but he studied in Rousse from the first grade. As a child, he often stayed with his grandparents in the nearby village of Bršlen. His family supports him unconditionally. He believes that he is really lucky to be on good terms with everyone. They rejoice at his every victory. They taught him that no matter what he does, even if he loses, he has achieved a lot.
His parents, as well as his grandparents, are his inspiration.
He is categorical that their persistence and non-stop work give him the opportunity for a better life. They motivate him to devote himself to his education. He trusts his parents a lot, because from a young age they give him the freedom to make his own decisions. He is used to seeing them only 1-2 times a week and often misses them, but they are regularly heard on the phone. He also has a younger sister, with whom they live together in an apartment in Ruse, while his parents work in the village.
His grandmother teaches him to read and count
Therefore, when he is in first and second grade, the boy does not pay much attention in class. His grandmother always emphasized the importance of education, which is still a principle that guides Evelyn in life. She has been a Bulgarian language teacher for many years, and Ivelin is not a strong subject at all.
The woman manages to help him with some of the basic rules, but since she hasn’t practiced in a long time and doesn’t know the form, Evelyn prepares himself. For the exam that is coming up at the end of the 12th grade, he is determined to focus on BEL preparation. And he chose English for his second matriculation, which does not bother him so much. He is still hesitating whether to take a third maths exam. He doesn’t need it for the application, but he wants to challenge himself because he will continue to emphasize the subject.
Evelyn can’t wait to graduate, but she also feels sad that she is parting ways with the school forever. Prom is not a priority for him. He knows from his classmates where and when he will be, and although he is not a fan of noisy parties, he is sure that he will have fun.
Most of his close friends are from the village and he regularly goes home to see them. “It’s just easier in the village. I don’t have to call someone to see if they’re free, and on the weekend I just go downtown and there’s always someone to talk to or play volleyball, soccer, or weight training,” he says.
When he gathers with his family to celebrate the victory, one of his closest friends surprises him by congratulating him with a piece of music played on the bagpipe, which touches him deeply.
However, his girlfriend Nora is in Ruse. The two met at school when they had to be presenters at an event dedicated to the celebration of the folk costume. A few months later they become a couple. Evelyn says he is happy because they can see each other almost every day. She supports him in all his endeavors and was very happy when he managed to win the competition, although while he was in Berlin, they did not see each other for a week.
Evelyn is not the type of honors student who does not look up from the textbook. He plays sports regularly and dances folk dances – first in the community center in the village, and then in the “Zornitsa” ensemble in Ruse. As a child, he spent most of his free time at home playing games, but during the pandemic he felt isolated and started to appreciate the time he spends outside with his friends. Then he decides to be more sociable.
For 2-3 years, he has also been involved in making games. He likes more creative and action games are rather not for him. As a child, he mostly played “Minecraft”, because in it he has the opportunity to do things related to mathematics and informatics.