This presentation is part of the application I am submitting to IE Business School. I am answering Question I: "Show us an activity you enjoy doing. Tell us how you think it contributes to your personal and professional development."

1. C
Q: SHOW US AN ACTIVITY YOU ENJOY DOING. TELL US HOW YOU THINK IT
CONTRIBUTES TO YOUR PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
IE Admissions Express Yourself
Diana Petrova

2. Cinnamon buns with cream cheese icing

3. Baking and Pastry Arts
• One of my hobbies is baking. I enjoy researching new recipes and adding special ingredients to
make them my own.
• The process of creating something out of separate components and following a specific set of
instructions is calming and also reassuring.
• I try and make baked goods, which are appealing to both the taste buds and the eyes.
• Dedicating my attention solely to one task and having the patience to complete it properly is a
great way to learn the importance of completing each project with care and persistence. If
you’re not patient while baking a bread, it will not rise.

4. White Sourdough loaf

5. Baking has also been proven
to be therapeutic and highly
beneficial to people in times
of stress.
Knowing that following the
recipe and putting in effort,
will 100% produce the result I
want, is something that I
have always found
encouraging and relaxing.
Raw apricot and coconut energy balls

6. • When baking with yeast,
manual labor is also part
of the process. Kneading
the dough in order to
develop the gluten is
essential to the proper
incorporation of the
ingredients and even
more so – to whether or
not your dough will raise.
Fig slices with a nut base and cashew cream

7. Chocolate and vanilla swirl shortbread biscuits

8. Fig slices with a nut base and cashew cream

9. How does this contribute to my personal and professional
development?
• I believe that hobbies are essential in helping us to deal
with stress. When we partake in an activity, which we truly
enjoy and are interested in, we take our minds off of
issues, work-related stress and anything else that bothers
us. Unlike a job, a hobby provides options – you can do it
whenever you want, for however long you wish. You are
not obligated to do it at all, which is a refreshing taste of
freedom in a society, full of obligations.
• Baking has provided me with comfort, but has also
in me an understanding of dedication. Putting time, ideas,
ingredients and effort into something and having it turn
out poorly is a lesson in persistence. I have learned to go
back and look at my mistakes in order to be better the
time. I have learned that getting things right takes time
skill, and that attention to detail is crucial as it only takes
extra teaspoon of Bicarbonate of Soda to ruin a muffin.
Double-layer chocolate cheesecake

10. Books and Book Reviews

11. • My other favorite pastime is reading. I have always had a love for books and the advancements
of social media have given me the tools to share that love with other likeminded individuals.
• Reading books from various genres has been shown to improve creativity, logical thinking,
vocabulary and problem-solving. But beyond that, reading also helps us live out adventures,
love, pain, struggle and courage that might be impossible to encounter in our lives.
• Readers today can come together and not only encourage each other to keep reading and
branch out of their literary comfort zone, but also to think analytically and look past the story.
Websites such as GoodReads and Instagram have become a readers’ heaven.
• I also enjoy writing reviews of my latest reads on a personal blog, targeted towards fellow
readers.

13. My personal favorite literary genre to read is Fantasy.
Some of my top books or series are Lord of The Rings,
Harry Potter, A Court of Thorns and Roses, The Shannara
Chronicles, The Book Thief, The Hobbit and Under the
Dome.
I believe that books are important because any book has
the power to shape and change an individual. Reading an
impactful book at a young age can completely change a
child’s perception of human experiences or aspects of life.
I actually think a book can also do that for an adult.
While in the past a love of literary characters and worlds
was seen as “nerdy”, today we can reach out to
likeminded individuals across the globe and create virtual
communities, which have a place for anyone.

15. Naturally, writing
book reviews and
posting social media
updates is a great
way to meat friends.
But it’s also a great
way to get an in-
depth understanding
of social media
trends, marketing,
photography, writing
and analytical
thinking.

17. • How does this contribute to my personal and
professional development?
• Reading is good for the soul. Everybody
knows that. But when you fall in love with
literature at a young age, it becomes an
integral part of your daily life. Books have
educated me, enhanced my vocabulary,
shown me worlds that I never would have
even imagined, brought be back in time and
sent me into the future. What’s not to love?
• Taking that love of books and putting it on
the Internet has given me the freedom to
write about what I want and share it with
people who love it as well. I was also able to
see how important consistency and creativity
are in Digital Media. I also learned a lot
social media platforms when used for
business.

18. Thank you for your time!
All photographs included are my own.
Providing social links for reference:
Wordpress: www.spicesandbooksblog.wordpress.com
Instagram: @spices.and.books
Diana Petrova