As a first-generation college student, our founder embodies the promise of opportunity through education.  His belief that education enriches and empowers lives is the product of his own story, and constitutes a central tenet in his life philosophy. 

As an immigrant to the United States, Stratsi – as he is known to friends and colleagues – credits his professional and personal growth mostly to his years at the American University in Bulgaria, initially funded by the United States Congress through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and US and European philanthropists.  A member of the very first class of students, Stratsi’s choice of an unproven brand new university seemed risky, and came with financial burdens for his family at the time.  But his undergraduate experience was transformative. He went on to graduate, worked across different industries from Radio Broadcasting to Satellite Telecom to Software on several continents and in DC and Silicon Valley, earned his MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, and even served as President and Board Member of  that university where it all started.

These diverse life experiences made possible by a new and unproven university 30 years ago, and the motivation to pay it forward, inspired the very creation of NewU.  We hope, in turn, it empowers young people to invest in a life of resilience, pursuit of lifelong learning, and success here at NewU in our nation’s capital.