Dona Kosturanova

Dona Kosturanova is 19 years old and resides in Skopje, Macedonia’s capital city.  She recently graduated from Josip Broz Tito High School, and her experience includes seminars in mediation, as well as seminars focused on teaching and judging debates.  She is an active member of the Youth Education Forum, and lists astronomy, literature, art, and computer programming as her special interests.  Before the Benjamin Franklin Fellowship, Dona had never traveled to the United States.  She has expressed her dedication to the improvement of social programs in Macedonia, and plans to study at the University of Sts. Cyril and Methodius, Macedonia’s national public university.  She is interested in subjects involving people and society, such as public affairs, politics, diplomacy, information technology and law.  In a televised interview with the Voice of America (VOA) Macedonian Service, Dona shared her view of the program’s mission, saying, “One of the main ideas of this seminar is to exchange experiences and knowledge with representatives from other countries, and to familiarize the Americans with the European traditions and customs, but also to set grounds for future Trans-Atlantic relations.”