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Gruia Badescu
“Development should not aim to replace traditions, but should incorporate them while providing people a good way of life.”
- Program: 2008 Graduate Scholarship Recipient
- Resides: London, London
- Hometown: Bucharest, Romania
- Age: 25
- Four-year College or University: Middlebury College
- Graduate School: London School of Economics and Political Science
- Academic/Career Pursuits: Architecture, Government, International NGO/Relations, Languages, Liberal Arts, Public Policy, Social Science / Anthropology, Urban Design / City Planner, Writing / Journalism
- Other Interests: Architecture, Film / Photography, Foreign Languages / International Study, Languages, Liberal Arts, Model UN, Philosophy, Social Science / Anthropology, Visual Arts, Writing / Journalism
Biography
PROFILE: Gruia Badescu was born in a small town in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania. At the age of 11, he moved to Bucharest and at first found the city grey, cold, and inhibiting. As an adolescent, he ventured beyond the rows of communist buildings and discovered the “charming albeit dilapidated historic Bucharest, where a bewildering array of architectural styles reflected the shadows of the city’s former glory.” This was the start of his love affair with urban design and architecture.
Before college, Gruia spent a year visiting Romania and Poland, including also sites of suffering from World War II. A pivotal moment during his trip was in Maramures, northern Romania, where he witnessed “the pitfalls of rapid modernization in one of Europe’s last bastions of traditional culture.”
Gruia came to the US to attend Middlebury College, where he majored in geography and international studies. Upon graduating, Gruia visited Romania and was taken aback by the amount of new construction that had replaced traditional houses. In response, he began an initiative that was supported by National Geographic’s Center for Sustainable Destinations to educate villages about the benefits of preserving cultural heritage. He will launch the program this summer.
INSPIRATION: Gruia was inspired by his grandfather who signed a petition for democracy during the early communist years in Romania. His actions, which landed him in jail, inspired him to challenge totalitarianism, seek justice, and stand by his principles.
ASPIRATION: Gruia aspires to pursue a doctoral degree and join international reconstruction efforts in war-torn areas of the world.
MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Gruia was the co-organizer of a symposium at his college entitled, “The Many Faces of Poverty: From Local to Global.”
ACCOLADES: Gruia received a gold medal at the International Geography Olympiad in South Africa in 2002. He was the first undergraduate to receive the Simion Mehedinti Award given to scholars who have made a contribution to the field of Romanian geography.
INTERESTING FACT: Gruia is researching and writing an article for the Romanian edition of National Geographic that explores the country’s endangered architectural heritage.
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