Much like the roots of a tree, scholarship holders remain connected to the Hastor Foundation even after they complete their education. Such roots are hard to tear up because of the relationship which can quite often be tremendously strong, unbreakable, and filled with connection, which is abundant with positive emotions and beautiful memories from the school days which are now behind them. In that way, former scholarship holders of the Hastor Foundation keep a connection with the Foundation which was the main reliance and support in their lives. Time goes by, and people face all kinds of changes and many memories fade when replaced with new and more interesting events. There is only one thing that remains unchanged in every scholar’s life regardless of age, and that is their attachment to the Hastor Foundation.
Written above is reflected in the relationship between our alumni and the Foundation. One of them is Alma Drljević-Mašić, who graduated from the Department of Social work at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo. She currently lives and works in her hometown Goražde. Since 2015, she has been employed as a professional associate for children’s protection at the Social Work Centre. She is married and has two children.
Alma became a scholarship holder and volunteer of the Hastor Foundation in the initial days of the Foundation, in 2006 more precisely, and she kept that status up until completing her postgraduate studies which makes her part of the first generation of scholarship holders. On a monthly basis, Alma spent 16 hours of her volunteer work with a group of elementary school students from Goražde. She says that she volunteered usually on the weekends on the premises of the elementary school. Her role primarily was to help students to master the material from subjects they had difficulties with. Besides studying, they had free activities as well, where they hung out, played, had field trips and above all, through all of these activities, bonded emotionally knowing that they are part of the same family – the Hastor Foundation. In addition to volunteering in the field, our alumna also had the opportunity to volunteer as part of the administrative team in the Hastor Foundation office. As a then-student of social work, she tried to implement and direct what she had learned directly in the field by volunteering with younger scholarship holders.
Alma admits that it is not easy to single out one special moment from volunteering, because all of the activities that were held, had something special by which they are remembered. When you are part of one big team whose mission and role is to help, to direct and invest in young people, you cannot help but feel how special every moment in which you were part of that mission is.
I always looked forward the most to our monthly student meetings in which we had different workshops in order to make our role in the community larger and more significant. There are also the communal scholarship holders’ field trips of which I have fond memories because to this day they create pictures of real friendship in my head.
It is also very important to mention the financial support which was of great importance throughout her studies. As we already mentioned, she currently works on children protection and has an opportunity to work with families which are in a tough socio-economic situation. She gladly uses the opportunity to, if they have children who go to school, present to them the work and mission of the Hastor Foundation so that any child who wants to move forward gets a chance to be part of that life-long story.
Following the work of the Hastor Foundation until now, I can freely say that its role and mission are even more strengthened because of what we started, the current scholarship holders are developing even further and they are widening the range of the Foundation’s work. Its role remained the same – to connect young people who are ready to take on current challenges in one place. A lot of fond memories connect me with the then-members and management of the Hastor Foundation because those people were the ones who went through all the challenges with us, and were the greatest support towards realizing our dreams. Every student needs some wind at their back whose presence is never forgotten. The Foundation has been that to all of us and that is why we carry it in ourselves while we look at some new generations occupying the space where we used to sign our contracts.
When we look down the roads of success along which our alumni walk, we feel a sense of happiness, for we as well are going to walk along those same roads while carrying the Hastor Foundation in our hearts.
Prepared by: Nedžma Latić
Translated by: Minela Geko
