High School Students Ran a Student Start-up in the “Manager for 90 Minutes” Competition
05 november 2026
Three teams from the civic education school “Youth Parliament - European Bridge” at the Municipal Children’s Complex in Varna took part in the “Manager for 90 Minutes” educational competition organised by Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar”. The talented young people from key Varna secondary schools tackled a case study on managing a student start-up and presented their proposals to a four-member jury.
The competition was led by Prof. Dr Velislava Nikolaeva, a lecturer in the Department of Administration and Management. Each participant was assigned a management role within their team, with students taking on the positions of Chief Executive Officer, Commercial Director, Marketing Director and Finance Director. The task required them to coordinate their decisions, allocate responsibilities and agree on a common approach to developing the start-up.
In addition to their management roles, each student was given a secret mission that determined their behaviour within the team. Some had to challenge proposals, others to provoke disagreements, while a third group had to seek consensus and help resolve conflicts. The participants therefore had to find a solution to the case study while also dealing with the different positions and reactions within their teams.
The activity sparked lively discussions. Students asked questions, considered possible courses of action and justified their choices. The team that won first place impressed the jury with an unconventional solution and a convincing managerial approach to the problem. All participants received certificates from Prof. Dr Anton Grozdanov, Dean of the Faculty of Social, Economic and Computer Sciences, as well as gifts.
The proposals were assessed by Prof. Dr Velislava Nikolaeva; Assoc. Prof. Dr Miglena Pencheva, Head of the Department of Administration and Management; Dobrinka Kostova, teacher and leader of the “Youth Parliament - European Bridge” civic education school; and Miloslava Georgieva, the university’s Public Relations Expert.
The format introduced the secondary school students to the Administration and Management professional field through practical tasks and teamwork. The participants expressed their wish for the meetings at the university to continue, while some said they intended to choose Varna Free University “Chernorizets Hrabar” for their higher education.
The university extends its sincere thanks to its alumnus Emiliyan Yalamov and to Dobrinka Kostova for their assistance and support in organising the event and making this meeting with the young people possible.
Снимки: Емилиян Ялъмов