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Andriana P. Nikolova

Biography

Struggling to support herself during college, Andriana Nikolova made a choice. "I had two options-to become a bitter person or to remember all the people in Bulgaria who could never have the opportunity I have been given. I chose the latter."

Andriana's mother fed her dreams with books about history and foreign cultures. And Andriana's grandfather admired scholarship and inspired his granddaughter to explore and create. After her grandfather passed away, Andriana began visiting nursing homes for the elderly and developed an affinity for medicine. She dedicated herself to her studies, becoming a quick learner in the classroom to make up for the fact that she could not afford the books at home.

A full four-year scholarship to Grinnell College brought Andriana to the United States. She was chosen from thousands of applicants from ten Eastern European countries. Andriana still needed to work to cover her personal expenses, and she mentored students in inorganic and organic chemistry, and tutored in math and physics. She earned a travel fellowship to intern with a Grinnell alum in medicine at Northwestern University, and conducted highly regarded research for three summers in the molecular and cellular biology department at Harvard University.

This scholarship will help Andriana fulfill her next ambition. "Growing up in Bulgaria, which has one of the highest incidences of coronary disease, I remember feeling helpless when I saw many people close to me, including my father, unable to afford the surgery or medication they needed because it would consume their annual salary. I had promised myself to acquire the skills and knowledge to lay the blueprint of a healthy heart."

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