WHEN I WAS A STUDENT WITH RUZHICA FROM “AREA”: I WOULD DESCRIBE MY STUDENT LIFE AS A BALANCE BETWEEN TWO EXTREMES – FUN AND LEARNING.

Ruzhica Miloshevska-Brchioska, our famous pop-rock singer and frontwoman of the band “Area” was born on April 4, 1968, in Gostivar. She graduated from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and now works at ELEM.

For our section “When I Was a Student” supported by “Pivara Skopje” she revisits her student days, reminiscing about a distant, dynamic, and carefree time.

She completed her primary and secondary education in Gostivar, at “Brotherhood and Unity” and elementary school and “Panche Poposki” Gymnasium, where she was an excellent student.

I studied at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Skopje, specializing in IT, and later in computer engineering, informatics, and automation. Although I am more inclined towards music and art than technology, at the time when I enrolled in college, I believed that being professionally capable in one of the technical branches was better in our country, and that won when making the choice. And I didn’t make a mistake.  In the end, I was a good mathematician in primary and secondary school, Ruzhica shares.

She says that there were exams that went smoothly, but some were challenging. Her student life was filled with fun and socializing. During that time, she also started working with the band “Area”,  but her exams did not suffer any consequences.

– Probably like many other students who came to Skopje from different cities, my fondest memories are of the student parties and social gatherings. It’s the feeling of freedom because you are living on your own for the first time, but at the same time, there’s a sense of responsibility towards the faculty and the academic obligations you have there. So, I would describe my student life as a balancing act between two extremes – fun and learning. During my college years, we began our journey in music with the band “Area”, reminisces the singer and engineer, Ruzhica.

She didn’t have any difficulties with her exams, but she regularly studied to avoid cramming material at the last moment. She didn’t have any specific rituals for preparation, but on the night before an exam, she couldn’t sleep.

Some exams went smoothly, but some were challenging, depending on how well I “grasped” the subject from the beginning. Nevertheless, it was a faculty where regular and systematic studying was required. I have to say that written exams and tasks were easier for me, while the oral and theoretical parts were quite challenging. I favored logic over memorizing theory. I didn’t have any specific exam preparation rituals, but I do remember that on the night before an exam, I regularly couldn’t sleep. I would have a few “cups” of coffee and review the material I had covered, she recalls.

The faculty introduced me to the fundamentals of electrical engineering.

When asked about how much credit the faculty deserves for what she is today, her knowledge, and her achievements, she says: Of course, everything learned at the faculty cannot be remembered for a lifetime, but the faculty introduced me to the fundamentals of electrical engineering. It fundamentally explained electrical, electronic, and digital systems, the essence of how they function, taught me how to navigate technical documentation, and deepened my logic and problem-solving abilities. These are skills that have been useful to me in my workplace, she emphasizes.

Ruzhica has worked for a long time at AD ESM, the Mavrovo HPP Branch in Gostivar, and is currently in a managerial position in the electrical maintenance department. Of course, we know her better for her wonderful and dynamic concerts, the evergreen songs we all sing, and the unforgettable parties and performances.