An Interview With Maria Angelova
Financial support is the number one priority, of course, because it takes funds and monetary means for us to move forward. We have a timeline to follow, which is within the next year. We are looking to go ahead with the purchase. Anyone who wants to contribute financially and/ or with their skills — we can definitely use those contributions.
As a part of my series about “individuals and organizations making an important social impact”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Gergana Ivanova.
Is there anything ‘random’? When she randomly connects with another mom from the Bulgarian community, she finds out there is a Bulgarian School in Atlanta. She excitedly signs up the kids to learn their mother’s language. However, attending the Bulgarian School of Atlanta turns into a much bigger endeavor for her.
Meet Gergana Ivanova, a successful business professional, a busy mom, and now the President of the Parent Teacher Organization for Bulgarian School of Atlanta and a member of its Board eager to contribute to the school’s big next undertaking — Establishing a Bulgarian Community Center — a reality.
“The school has a very profound impact by giving our children the opportunity to be literate, communicate with their friends and relatives, and connect to their roots. “
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we get into that, let us allow our listeners and readers to get to know who Gergana is. Could you give us a backstory of who Gergana is?
Gergana is a mom of two beautiful boys. I am originally from Bulgaria. I have been living in Atlanta for about 15 years now. I have a day job doing contract negotiations and strategies. I am very involved with the Bulgarian School as a volunteer, serving as the PTO president and a Board Member of the Parent Foundation. It is a cause that is really close to my heart and that I am very passionate about.
What brought you to the United States, and what has the journey of being an immigrant been like for you?
That is an interesting question. I came to study on a student visa a long time ago. I was only planning to be here for a short term, take my degree, and go back to make a difference in my country. I ended up getting married here, settled with a family and a good job.
What has the immigrant experience taught you?
The experience has taught me that you have to make the best of what you have, with what you have, wherever you are. I cherish my Bulgarian heritage so much. Being affiliated with the Bulgarian School is one way for me to contribute and make a difference, being far away from my native country.
How did you connect to the Bulgarian School?
I met a Bulgarian mom at the park. The usual story. It was funny how we met. I was trying to get my kids to go home. I said something in Bulgarian, and her husband, who is American, heard me. He approached me and said his wife is Bulgarian. We connected. That mom became a real good friend of mine. She was talking about the Bulgarian School the entire time and got me interested in it.
I think it is very interesting how the kids bring us to the Bulgarian School. I got reconnected to the Bulgarian community because of my daughter; I wanted her to have an experience related to my culture.
Gerry, you are not just the parent who shows up and drops the kids off at the school, you are really involved with the school. You are involved in a lot of their volunteer activities. You are the president of the PTO as well as a member of the Board of Directors. You do a lot for the school. What prompted you? I know you have a very, very busy schedule, you are raising two kids. What prompted you to step out and do so much and on a volunteer basis for our school.
First of all, it is a huge pleasure and privilege. I could not enjoy this voluntary job more than I currently do. I am really thankful for the principles who got me involved to begin with. I fell in love with everything that I am doing. It is a really rewarding experience to be able to do all these organized events, contribute in any way possible, run a school newspaper, and take care of the mobile library with the children every Saturday. All these things bring joy to my life.
Share more about the specific activities that you organize or participate in for the school?
As the President of the PTO, I help organize and coordinate events such as the school’s fall festival, the annual holiday bazaar, and the spring carnival. These events involve a lot of planning, communication, and execution. It is always rewarding to see how much the kids and their families enjoy them.
In addition, I also serve as a Board Member. We help to fundraise and support the school’s educational programs and initiatives. And as I mentioned, I also take part in the mobile library program, where we bring books and educational resources to children in underprivileged communities. It is truly a fulfilling experience to be able to make a positive impact in the lives of these children and their families.
What do you think is the impact the Bulgarian School has on our community?
The school has a very profound impact by giving our children the opportunity to be literate, communicate with their friends and relatives, and connect to their roots.
As someone in a mixed marriage, I regret not teaching my kids our family language, and now they find it difficult to connect with their grandparents. Through the Bulgarian School, they can learn about the culture and customs, like folk dancing, and even become passionate about it. It is meaningful to make them feel connected, whether through reading books or watching movies with Bulgarian characters or celebrities. It’s powerful.
I agree; the impact of the school is powerful for our community. I can affirm this as an immigrant parent of a child who was born here, in the United States. I don’t want her to just say ‘my mom is Bulgarian’. I want her to have ties to the culture, language and her rich heritage.
You are very involved in a big project for the Bulgarian School. Can you tell us about this special project?
Yes, the Bulgarian School has been renting a nice home for the past five or six years. Now, we want a long-term home of our own.
We started a project last year to raise funds for the initial down payment for a school building. This will have a profound impact on the children, parents, and the entire community. We will have a place to gather not just for school but also for many cultural events, like theater, visiting troops from Bulgaria, and even Bulgarian elections. It will be a significant contribution for our community.
What kind of support does the school need right now to move forward with this project?
Financial support is the number one priority, of course, because it takes funds and monetary means for us to move forward. We have a timeline to follow, which is within the next year. We are looking to go ahead with the purchase. Anyone who wants to contribute financially and/ or with their skills — we can definitely use those contributions.
The building or land we purchase will require renovations. If we do not have the budget to buy a brand new building; anyone with expertise in construction or remodeling is more than welcome to reach out.
We are happy to connect and share the plan for moving forward with anyone interested in contributing. This is a big undertaking for our not-so-huge community down here in Atlanta.
What drives you all to believe that this project will happen?
This is long overdue. We see a huge increase in the number of children attending the school, and from a practical perspective, it really seems to be the right time to take the next step.
Rent prices have gone up significantly over the past two years, and it is time for us to have that baseline foundation and then be able to develop additional programs, such as a daycare that Mrs. Milena wants to have in place, expand, and offer any other extracurricular activities that we currently have.
We have music and dance lessons, and there are so many ideas for other members of the community to get involved with anything they are experts in and have a place where they can teach in our native language.
The PTO and PTA team are passionate about this undertaking and the big goal we have set.
What are you hearing in the Bulgarian community? Is there excitement around this project? What is the level of support that you are finding so far? You have had significant results in fundraising so far.
We set a goal to raise $100,000 for the down payment of the building or land. We are close to 40% of that goal, and that is for a period of 6 or 7 months since September of last year. We are very proud and appreciative of all the support we have received so far. We hear from parents already, “Hey, did you find land? Did you find a building? When are we moving?”
The community is looking forward to this change happening. Picking the right location will be an important step as well.
We have made good progress, and we are very thankful for the numerous members of our community — not only the parents of the Bulgarian School, but really friends, family, and coworkers that have contributed.
Maybe this is the right time for me to mention the Parent Foundation that we established in 2021. It is a nonprofit organization. All the funds and donations that we receive are tax-deductible.
There are many corporations that have wonderful programs where they support and gladly contribute to causes similar to ours. They even have matching programs, and we have seen the value of that with 5 or 6 members of our school so far. We really appreciate all the research and outreach that they have done — talking about the cause with their coworkers. I have had coworkers who contributed to the cause just by knowing me and how passionate I am about the Bulgarian School’s progress.
Gerry, leave us with a favorite quote or a piece of inspiration, whether it’s related to the project or not, something that inspires you and that keeps you going in the daily life of a busy, working, volunteering mom.
I have many, but one recent one is “Stay Humble and Hustle Hard.” Yeah, I see that not just in the things I do but in a lot of women around me — you’ve been one of them. I really, really feel in a good place.
On that quote, let’s quickly talk about the importance of community. The school project is related to community. I always talk about the power of the tribe. Could you speak about that a little bit again in the context of all the roles that you are in?
I am going to start with the fact that there is a lot of girl power around me. There are so many driven women and moms, and, of course, not to undermine the contributions of the other very important half of our community, the dads and the men.
On the PTO team, we are a wonderful team of very dedicated moms and women who all contribute with our time and expertise. This is a team effort; one person cannot carry this forward on their own. When we, the leaders of the Parent Teacher Foundation, see and feel the support of the parent community, it fuels us and keeps us optimistic the goal is attainable. There is power in multiples believing in the same cause.
Where can people find more information on the school? If they would like to donate, where can they find that information?
We are very active on social media. We can be found on Facebook and Instagram. The school has an official Facebook page.
The PTO has a Facebook page which is affiliated with our nonprofit profile as well. We accept donations on Facebook. It is one of our preferred ways to receive donations because Facebook absorbs all the processing fees. Not only is the donation tax deductible; there are no credit card processing fees. We have actually raised the majority of the funds so far via Facebook, which we are really thankful for.
We also have a GoFundMe page as well that we recently published for the raising of funds for the new school building.
You could also find us in any of the corporate databases if you work in a big corporation, and you look up your nonprofit database. The Bulgarian School Plan Parent Foundation will surely show up there. The cause is a good candidate for matching programs.
Gerry, just to clarify for people who may be interested in donating, what category is the donation under? Would it fall under education?
Yes, it would fall under education. That is how we are registered as a nonprofit organization.
However, we have three main pillars that make up our mission statement.
Firstly, we support and enrich all school activities, including securing our school building. Secondly, we aim to expand and preserve the Bulgarian cultural heritage in Georgia. And thirdly, we have a fund dedicated to assisting families within the Bulgarian community who may be going through financial hardship, as we understand the challenges that can come with being an immigrant and the potential variations in health insurance coverage.
Thank you for acknowledging our efforts and if anyone would like to learn more about the Bulgarian School of Atlanta or offer support, please feel free to use the links provided.
Thank you so much for your time and for everything that you and your team do. It’s greatly appreciated.
Thank you, it was my pleasure to discuss our organization with you.
Bulgarian School of Atlanta PTO
About The Interviewer: Maria Angelova, MBA is a disruptor, author, motivational speaker, body-mind expert, Pilates teacher and founder and CEO of Rebellious Intl. As a disruptor, Maria is on a mission to change the face of the wellness industry by shifting the self-care mindset for consumers and providers alike. As a mind-body coach, Maria’s superpower is alignment which helps clients create a strong body and a calm mind so they can live a life of freedom, happiness and fulfillment. Prior to founding Rebellious Intl, Maria was a Finance Director and a professional with 17+ years of progressive corporate experience in the Telecommunications, Finance, and Insurance industries. Born in Bulgaria, Maria moved to the United States in 1992. She graduated summa cum laude from both Georgia State University (MBA, Finance) and the University of Georgia (BBA, Finance). Maria’s favorite job is being a mom. Maria enjoys learning, coaching, creating authentic connections, working out, Latin dancing, traveling, and spending time with her tribe. To contact Maria, email her at angelova@rebellious-intl.com. To schedule a free consultation, click here.
Social Impact Heroes: Why & How Gergana Ivanova Is Helping To Change Our World was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.