Assen Tonkov is one of those people you can’t help but notice because they immediately grab you with their smile. He was born in Sofia in 2003, but has lived in Kokalyane for many years. He received his high school education in 125 „Boyan Penev“ Secondary School, where after 10th grade he studied in a class with mathematics, biology and physics. Currently he is studying the specialty „Biochemistry and Cell Biology“ in Bremen, Germany, and this year he will be a third year student. He plans to get a master’s degree in immunology and why not a PhD after that. We meet during his vacation in Bulgaria and talk about the things of life.
Why did you decide to study biology?
While in school, I studied math, physics and biology fairly deeply because they were part of my class profile. I love all three sciences but as I grew up biology continued to excite me more and more with each passing year. Science itself helped me to explain the questions I was interested in related to the body and the world around us. As time went on and my knowledge increased, the questions I was asking became more complex, which helped me come to the conclusion that I wanted to continue studying biology going forward. A very big factor in this decision was my biology teacher, Georgi Miloshev, who definitely made me even more passionate. He was happy to come to work every day and always answered my questions. Even now we are still friends.
How did you end up in Germany?
Studying in Germany was pure chance. While I was in 12th grade I applied to universities in the US and got accepted to 2, but the cost of tuition was very expensive so I enrolled in Molecular Biology at the Biology Department. I was happy with my efforts even though I didn’t go to the states and the summer before my junior year I worked in a building materials warehouse in order to earn money. It was August and my class teacher Dimitri Dimitrov, who had been my 5th grade math teacher, called me. On the phone he told me that Jacobs University still had admissions in August for students from the European Union. I applied and thanks to my good school grades and SAT exams, I was accepted with a partial scholarship. So I ended up in Bremen, Germany and started studying Biochemistry and Cell Biology at Jacobs University. I undoubtedly owe a lot to my math teacher because he helped me grow as a person and was undoubtedly like a second father to me.
Was it a coincidence or a long thought out decision for you?
In general, I was considering studying abroad for quite a long time. In a notebook I wrote the pros and cons of studying abroad. I talked to a lot of people who had studied abroad and after listening to the opinions of those around me, I decided to study abroad.
What are the challenges of being a student abroad?
Studying abroad is definitely not easy. Perhaps the biggest obstacle is nostalgia and the lack of family and friends. It definitely weighed on me a lot at first, but it got easier with time, but the feeling of nostalgia and missing out didn’t completely go away. Another challenge is undoubtedly culture shock. Coming from a small country on the Balkan Peninsula, you are confronted with another culture and people. There are huge differences between the two countries. At my university in particular, students from over 100 countries study, which was definitely something new, unfamiliar and seemingly intimidating, but exciting at the same time. Also the language barrier is a solid obstacle when communicating with Germans.
What do you think are the advantages of studying abroad?
As I said, there are over 100 nationalities represented at my university which I think is invaluable in terms of cultural exchange and the difference in thinking of people coming from different countries. A big advantage is that education completed in Germany is recognised in many more places than the equivalent in Bulgaria. This is one of the biggest factors that helped me decide to study abroad. Also the new and unfamiliar environment helps to get out of the comfort zone of home and homeland, which I think is quite helpful in building character and life coping skills.
Have you thought about how you’re going to proceed or are you still undecided?
I know for a fact that I want to continue my education after my Bachelor’s. I’ve been thinking about what I want to study in the future, but I don’t have a concrete answer yet. At this stage in life, I am still pretty green and can easily be influenced in a certain direction. I would like to choose so that what I study in the future gives me pleasure and eventually go to work willingly.
According to biochemist writer Isaac Asimov, „The saddest aspect of life right now is that science is gathering knowledge faster than society is gathering wisdom.“ Do you agree with this thought of his and what do you think are the reasons for this discrepancy?
I agree with Isaac Asimov because science is a very useful tool if used wisely, but it can also be a very dangerous tool if used incorrectly. The fact is that science is advancing faster than ever, in all directions but public wisdom is lagging behind leading to misuse of science. This is due to the fact that today’s society is different. We live in a very fast-paced world and I think the last thing people think about is wisdom. Also, the social and culture contribute to the disconnect.
We are all literally inundated daily by an ocean of information. What dangers lurk for us and how can we protect ourselves from the wiles of misinformation?
Information is undoubtedly too much and is all around us which is largely due to globalization and the internet. In my opinion the quality and accuracy of information is not what it once was. Take the Wikipedia website for example. This is a web page that everyone has used many times in their life, on the face of it a good idea. Its problem lies in the fact that everyone has access to edit the information contained therein, whereby the veracity of that information is lost, leading to misinformation. I would add that the information disseminated by the media is not 100% correct and one should always have one thing in mind. Perhaps the greatest danger is that information in the 21st century can easily be manipulated, distorted or even hidden. One should never take everything one reads or listens to at face value. In my opinion, being skeptical and critical helps protect against the pitfalls of misinformation.
Where and how can we learn critical thinking? Is it embedded in universities or do we learn it directly in the School of Life?
Critical thinking can be conceived in school. One of the easiest and most natural questions to ask is „Why?“. This seemingly simple word makes us think about whether a thing is true or why it is true. This word helps develop critical thinking. Subsequently, over the course of our lives, we develop our critical thinking. It is important to note that this is a personal choice. There are many people who choose to trust blindly, but this makes them easily manipulated and controlled. I would say that critical thinking develops as a combination of education and our lives.
How do you imagine the world in 10-20 years? And yourself in it?
The world we live in is a very dynamic and changing system, but I think the future is a wonderful thing. I’m not hoping for flying cars, but I imagine we’ll tackle global warming, we’ll tackle hunger and misery in the world. I hope that the future will bring mainly positive developments, however utopian that may sound. As for me, I hope to make at least a small contribution to the positive development of our society in the future.
Favorite book, movie, music. Favorite motto
My favorite book is called „Before the Coffee Gets Cold“ and is part of a series of books written by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. They’re about a cafe in Tokyo that can take you back in time, but you’re not allowed to affect the past, just watch impassively.
It’s quite a difficult task to choose a favourite film, but a film I really like is Bohemian Rhapsody. The movie is about the life and work of Freddie Mercury and Queen.
My favorite music is definitely rock and metal. I grew up with them and will continue to listen to them in the future.
My favourite motto is ‘The salvation of the drowning is the work of the drowning themselves’. These words were spoken by Ostap Bender in the work by Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov, „The Twelve Chairs“.
Radostina Alexandrova