Theme: Visions Unbound

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized (subject to certain rules and regulations).

Carl Djerrassi Theater in ABF Student Center
12, Svoboda Bachvarova str.
Blagoevgrad, Blagoevgrad, 2700
Bulgaria

Derya Hyusein

Registered Dietitian

Derya Hyusein is a Registered Dietitian and Global Clinical Educator, with a deep passion for Clinical Dietetics and empowering others with knowledge on the profound impact of nutrition. Based in Scotland, Derya extends her expertise across Europe, the US, and the UK, both as an educator and practitioner. She holds a Master’s Degree in Dietetics from Robert Gordon University, complemented by hands-on experience at Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. As an active member of the British Dietetic Association and the Parenteral Nutrition Association, she has built a career spanning various specialisations, including weight management, diabetes care, sports nutrition, and health promotion. Ms Hyusein is also trained in advanced areas such as parenteral and enteral nutrition, as well as nutrigenetics and nutrigenomics. Through her work, she is committed to transforming lives with personalised nutrition and making evidence-based dietary guidance accessible to all.

Egzon Gashi

CEO of Teach For Kosova

Egzon Gashi is the CEO of Teach For Kosova, a non-profit in Kosova working to expand educational opportunities for all children. His contributions have been recognized by Forbes in their 30 under 30 list for Social Impact in Europe. Furthermore, he is an Obama Foundational Leaders Europe Fellow for 2022! Mr. Gashi’s passions include playing and watching basketball, as well as traveling and exploring the world! Looking ahead, Mr. Gashi hopes to continue to contribute to the educational transformation in Kosova and wishes to work to expand educational opportunities for students around the world.

Iva Radoeva

Psychology Student at UvA

Iva Radoeva studies psychology at the University of Amsterdam specializing in Brain and Cognitive Sciences. Currently, she is an Honours Research Intern, investigating grapheme-colour synesthesia in Bulgarian, leveraging her experience in research methods, competitive mathematics, and linguistics. Her passion for science communication emerged in her role as a Project Manager of The Young Scientist project, where she traveled around the country, demonstrating STEM experiments to over 2400 primary school children with her fellow students from the Sofia High School of Mathematics.

Ivan Landzhev

Writer, Author

Ivan Landzhev is one of the most prominent Bulgarian poets and essayists of our time. He graduated in Philosophy and Cultural Studies from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” and earned a PhD in Russian Classical Literature (2015). A Fulbright scholar, he has been a guest lecturer at the University of Chicago. He has received the Grand Poetry Prize “Orpheus’ Wreath”, as well as the “Veselin Hanchev”, “Vladimir Bashev” awards, among others. His poems, including “Blame it on Bobby Fischer”, have been translated into ten languages. Landzhev has worked as a screenwriter for several Bulgarian TV series, including “Undercover” and “Revolution Z”. In his free time, he enjoys playing chess, working out at the boxing gym, spending time with his family, and getting together with friends to play his guitar.

Jack Yoon

Assistant Professor of Mathematics at AUBG

Jack Yoon is currently an Assistant Professor at the American University in Bulgaria in the Department of Mathematics and Sciences. He was previously an AI Researcher in the Republic of Korea Army - Training and Doctrine Command, as well as an Instructor of Record at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where he got his PhD in Mathematics. His current areas of interest include Mathematical Logic; Computability Theory; Reverse Mathematics; Combinatorics; Symbolic Computation; Umbral Calculus (Finite Operator Calculus). His research activity in mathematics began early on in his college years, receiving undergraduate awards such as the Patterson Prize for Outstanding Presentation in 2015, the 2016 Riley Plymale Award for Excellence in Mathematics, and more. He has been producing multiple publications since his graduate years and continues to do so to this day. He is also currently a MathSciNet Reviewer for the American Mathematical Society.

Musya Qeburia

Freelance Artist

Musya Qeburia is a Georgian artist based in Tbilisi whose creative journey began at age of three. Since 2008, she has immersed herself in street art and murals, using walls as a canvas to explore narratives that bridge tradition and modernity. Over the years, she has collaborated with leading global brands in different industries transforming public spaces with vibrant storytelling and her work has been featured in some of the biggest international festivals. Beyond murals, she is realizing a showroom and workshop to host art therapy and immersive courses. Musya also dreams of creating a countryside retreat dedicated to slow living and creative healing.

Sindi Shkodrani

Computer Vision Engineer

Sindi Shkodrani is an AUBG and TEDxAUBG Alumna, who graduated with an Outstanding Achievement Award in Computer Science. She has been awarded the 2018 Best Paper Award at the Domain Adaptation workshop in the European Conference in Computer Vision for her research, and is currently working at Meta Reality Labs in Zurich. She is a co-founder of WaiACCELERATE, a startup accelerator program for women entrepreneurs in the field of AI and has mentored multiple early-stage startups. In 2021 she was listed among the “11 AI leaders in Amsterdam to watch”. Sindi is involved in culture and activism, as part of a feminist collective (F96) in Zurich that strives for diversity and representation in culture and nightlife, as well as a creative community (RPU) in Amsterdam. She maintains her hobbies, which she developed at AUBG, such as playing tennis and skiing and as of lately makes music and digital visual art installations.

Svilen Georgiev

Chief Editor of InGlobo Magazine

Svilen Georgiev is the publisher and editor-in-chief of InGlobo magazine, host of the InStorii podcast, and the Story Hunters series. When he isn’t writing, editing, or doing interviews, he chases distant horizons, does sports, enjoys art in (almost) all of its forms, and plays with his dog. One of his major achievements is rising from a freelance writer for InGlobo to the owner of the InGlobo Media company and transforming it into an independent multimedia enterprise. He is also a member of Mensa International, as well as a poet and writer.

Teona Sima

Social Media Influencer

Teona Sima is an AUBG alumna, graduating in Journalism & Mass Communication and Psychology. Also known as her social media personality The Language Blondie, she has over 1M followers across her social media platforms where she shares language learning tips and cultural insights. At AUBG, she was a host of the AUBG Office Hours podcast where she was interviewing AUBG professors, and she was part of the marketing and public relations departments at AUBG Olympics and TEDxAUBG.