Meet one of our Navas Ambassadors!
Aleksandar Borisov stands tall for self-improvement, kindness, integrity!
Tell us about yourself in <200 wordsMy name is Aleks, I'm 24 years old, and currently in my second year of medical school at UBC. I moved from Bulgaria to Canada when I was 8 with my family, grew up in Vancouver, and spent 4 years in Montreal for my undergraduate degree. I also love playing volleyball, both indoors and on the beach. I've played for over 10 years now, and it continues to be my favourite sport as well as a hobby that consumes too much of my time. Aside from school and sport, I'm kept busy by research projects in my fields of interest - cardiology, sports cardiology and internal medicine and like most Vancouverites, I love hiking and going on road trips around our beautiful province. To finish off my quick bio, here are some rapid fire facts about me: I love table tennis almost as much as volleyball, I have a 10 year old brother (15 year difference), and I've broken bones in my arm and leg, as well as torn my ACL.
6'5'' or 196cm
Many complain about low ceilings, but I've found the greatest struggle is sitting. So many times chairs will be too low and my knees will be sticking uncomfortably upwards, or the chair will be so shallow that only a third of my thigh is on it, or the chair will be attached to a table which is also too low so you can't even sit normally in it (university classrooms/exams were a nightmare when it came to this). I recently built a standing desk for myself and it has been an absolute game changer.
My long term goals are to represent Canada in beach volleyball for as long as my career will allow me to, and if possible continue competing semi to professionally into my 30s and 40s. Career wise, I am hoping to learn more about my favourite fields in medicine throughout my schooling at UBC and pursue them after that.
I've got a busy few months coming up as I'm studying for my school exams as well as one of the American board exams for medicine (in case I pursue additional training in the USA down the road), and preparing to present my research at a conference in May. At the same time I'm training several times a week as I was fortunate enough to qualify to represent Canada and UBC at the world university beach volleyball championship in Spain in June.
It is a reminder about how easy it is to overlook how capable we all are, and as a result, be surprised by it. Each individual is so unique and capable of so much thanks to everything that has happened in their life to this point to make them who they are.
I have experienced two Navas T-shirts so far (Crowe Tencel Tee and Crowe Microstripe Tee) and I must say both have been amazing. The fit is perfect for a tall and slim person and the comfort factor is untouchable by any other brand. I would've never imagined bamboo material could be this soft.
I usually opt for quick meals that I can batch cook, and one of my go-to's in that category is baked salmon, rice and a green veggie (broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach).