50 Stories for 50 Years: Georgi Dumanov ‘13

To celebrate our 50th anniversary year during 2018/19, we collected stories and profiles of people and institutions that have helped us build our organization, which first began as one person's dream in 1968. We will feature one story per week on our blog. Please enjoy these “50 for 50” profiles featuring ASSIST's dedicated board members, dynamic staff, welcoming host families and enthusiastic ASSIST Scholars.

Georgi Dumanov ‘13
Bulgaria, Deerfield Academy

My ASSIST year has certainly been one of the most memorable and pivotal ones of my life. I remember arriving at Logan airport for the orientation program not knowing what to expect. My arrival was quite untimely; 3 days later I would have to fly to Estonia to compete at a Taekwondo World Championship. A week after, I said an emotional goodbye to my father at the Talin airport from which I departed for the U.S. once again for the start of my year at Deerfield Academy.

A month into the school year, I was feeling homesick, surrounded by students from very different backgrounds. On a Skype call with my parents that weekend, I told them that I wasn't quite sure if I had made the right choice by coming here. I have never been more wrong. Fast forward a few months, and I was giving a speech for the ASSIST Board of Trustees about how wonderful my year had been, how many resources to pursue my interests I had been given, how grateful I was (and still am) to have been gifted this "unsurpassable" opportunity, and how much I would miss it once it was over.

During that year, I formed some of the most meaningful friendships and connections that are still immensely important to me, both personally and professionally. To this day, I feel a sense of belonging and allegiance to my ASSIST school. Though I attended Deerfield Academy for just one year, my connection there feels far stronger than the one I have with my Bulgarian high school, where I spent four years. My ASSIST year shaped me as a person and a student and formed my academic aspirations to continue my education in the U.S.

ASSIST is an absolutely unique program that in its own right has the power to completely transform high school students' lives. I am incredibly grateful to all of ASSIST and have been a fierce advocate of the program ever since.

About Georgi:
Georgi is a proud ASSIST Scholar of the Class of 2012/2013 from Bulgaria. During his year at Deerfield Academy, Georgi finished with the highest GPA of his class, was the Declamation winner, and was awarded the David Pynchon award for outstanding contributions to arts, given to an international student for the first time. After graduating summa cum laude from his high school in Bulgaria, Georgi returned to the U.S. to resume his liberal arts education at Yale University. Georgi graduated with a triple B.S. degree in Economics, Cognitive Science and Energy Studies as part of Phi Betta Kappa. Currently, Georgi is working as an investment banking analysts at UBS in New York.