My name is Adna Alić and I’m a second-year Master’s student in the Department for Telecommunications, Electrical Engineering Faculty, University of Sarajevo.
To all the young people, young women and girls in particular, who are yet to decide in which direction they wish their education and career to go, I wish to say not to be afraid to follow their dreams and believe in themselves. Day after day we witness that girls can compete with their male colleagues and even be more successful than them. I believe it is extremely important to educate girls, familiarise them with this topic in order to break down prejudices and encourage them to choose studying, and later pursuing successful career in STEM. It is also very important that young people do something useful for themselves and their community, in addition to their studies. What fulfils me during the studies and what largely shaped me as a person I am today is volunteering in Electrical Engineering Students' European Association – EESTEC LC Sarajevo, where I’ve participated in organisation of various projects, such as JobFAIR - Iskoristi svoju šansu!, Soft Skills Academy Sarajevo, different hackathons, local workshops and international events. I would recommend any form of volunteering, education and advancement to everyone. Everyone is the architect of their own fortune, so do not wait for opportunities – seek them.
Given that I am soon to complete my academic education, I am more confident that this is not the end, but a beginning. I want to continue developing myself in these fields to learn the tricks of the trade and become important part of our society. Regardless of the direction I will head in and regardless of where I will work, motivation, persistence and determination, continuous learning and advancement will always come first for me. I truly hope that one day I will be someone’s inspiration and a role model and that my actions will motivate all young people to continuously work to develop themselves in what they love and what they are best at!
