Student Profile: Alexander Nikiforov and Rose Hilal

Nikiforov, Alexander

It is all about perception, you know. Your achievements, merits, short-term goals all take a backseat when people whether they are employers, colleagues or professors are willing to know who you are.

How do you perceive this world? Is there any system or merely a chaotic state of affairs? To understand what kind of a person is seating next to you put him or her into an unfamiliar situation. In that second the gloves are coming off, the truth is being unveiled. The human in his natural form. I assume that is what defines my personality – the vision of the world, clear and stable no matter what. “Apathy”, some would say. “Harmony with myself”, I would answer.

Life seems to be so simple when you split it into elements and then, putting them back together, get a holistic and clear picture. However, there are some variables that break into your calm existence and challenge you. These are emotions, self-destructive human nature, public opinion, self-flagellation, etc. What is our life but a fight against these evils that destroy our spiritual balance. I have found my relief in the future. Look ahead, develop a life strategy (i.e. the person you want to be, career successes you want to achieve, life you want to have) and all current problems will have no weight and will not somehow affect you. They must be solved consistently and decisively for the sake of this future YOU. I have to admit that I belong to this category of people who believe that everyday we are better persons we were yesterday. So, any our step today makes tomorrow US a little bit better. Some people may point out that we should live in the moment and enjoy our lives by satisfying our permanent needs. True. But. My life is interesting too. I just offer myself no chance of being disappointed by external factors. By the way, this chance is higher than suddenly become happier because as Leo Tolstoy starts his book “Anna Karenina”: Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. It means there is a great variety of threats to your happiness and only several drugs for its recovery.

“Solitude”, some would say. “Harmony with myself”, I would answer.

 

Hilal, Rose

Tuesday, November 4th 2008 or the day Barack H. Obama was elected President of the USA. What a significant event for the ordinary student in biology I was. One of the most inspiring moment of the History and the event that, from far, inspiring my choices and decisions. I could remember every single details of this historic moment – from the dress Michelle Obama was wearing to the ‘yes we did’ the President said. Since then, the ‘impossible is nothing’ slogan had suddenly had a meaningful sense. I am not pretending being the first woman President of a
western country (not at all) but this made me realize I have to ‘LEAVE A LEGACY’ . Those three words became my motto. But what does ‘leaving a legacy’ mean to a young lady born a day that only exist every four years – yes I am talking about the 29th of February- in a country that doesn’t
exist anymore – if you didn’t guess, I was talking about Czechoslovakia , how about that ? The answer is really simple – keeping it real every single day, no matter what people say or how they want to influence your way of thinking. And by keeping it real I mean being able to follow my goals even if everything seem to be against me. But how could I know that I did something really meaningful or significant ? The truth is I don’t really know. But there is one thing for sure, as long as I am helping, I am leaving my legacy. Someone said ‘everyday create our history and every
path you take you’re leaving your legacy’.

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