After completing their studies, Hastor Foundation scholarship holders remain tied to the Foundation as a root to a tree. Such roots are difficult to tear
because that connection can be extremely strong, unbreakable, and full of positive emotions and wonderful memories of the period that’s behind them
now. This is how former scholarship holders nurture connection with the Hastor Foundation, which was often their main pillar and support in life. Time passes and people face various changes and many memories fade when they are replaced with new and more interesting events. But one memory in the life of every scholarship holder, no matter what age, remains the same – attachment and commitment to the Hastor Foundation. This month we bring you the story of former scholarship holder Aide Ribić.
Aida Ribić brings her story from Herzegovina. She was born in Sarajevo, and finished her elementary and high school education in Konjic. She was a scholarship holder of the Hastor Foundation for 5 years while studying at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Sarajevo. He is currently undergoing specialization at the General Hospital “Prim. Ph.D. Abdulah Nakaš” Sarajevo from the field of pediatrics.
Aida’s story comes from Hercegovina. She was born in Sarajevo, and she completed her elementary and high school education in Konjic. She was a Hastor Foundation scholarship holder for five years during her studies at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of Sarajevo. Aida is currently doing her internship in pediatrics in the Dr. Abdulah Nakaš General Hospital in Sarajevo.
Aida was a scholarship holder during her student years in the period between 2009 and 2014. She volunteered in various ways: in the administration team of the Foundation, with pupils in the elementary school in Hadžići, with high schoolers of medical schools in Sarajevo and high schoolers of a high school in Konjic. The volunteer hours was a special experience for Aida, and it represented another step in life that helped her develop her people skills. Aida got her medical degree in general medicine in July, 2014. Shortly after getting her diploma, Aida got her first work experience in the Community Hospital in Konjic. She describes her first months at work as unusual, challenging and beautiful. Encountering the reality and realizing the enormous responsibility that she now has was nothing near to her experiences as a student when she had practice in hospitals. Just like it is with any other job, Aida faced both simple cases, but also far more complicated and difficult cases when she didn’t know where the beginning was and where the end. For those situations she says that she felt as if she was in a diving suit in the middle of a dessert. Some of those overwhelming obstacles were actually non-medical things that she couldn’t influence, but that reflected greatly on her work as a doctor. Nevertheless, Aida overcame all her challenges successfully and she points out how much have the experience and skills acquired through the volunteer years in the Hastor Foundation helped her in such difficult situations.
First work experience was a new page in my life that was being slowly, but in detail written out. New staff, new people, new habits, new acquaintances… but, most importantly, far greater responsibility and far more obligations.
Love for children, as the most sincere and purest, Love towards children, as the most genuine and pure, was the reason why Aida applied for the faculty of medicine and after it for an internship in pediatrics. Pediatrics was Aida’s only wish and choice right from the beginning. Her love for pediatrics was only further developed through her experience in the Hastor Foundation: she was a mentor to a group of children for several years, she learned about children in general and she also learned how to connect to them. Through her volunteer hours, various topics, tasks and workshops, Aida learned in a special way how to approach children and how to express her love to them so that she can gain their trust. Aida loves spending her free time being in nature. As Aida shares with us, she relaxes her mind and body in nature. She has cherished love for sport and nature since young age and that’s why she became a member of the Scouts Group “Neretva Konjic” in her first grade of elementary school. She has also been a member of the Mountaineering Society “Borašnica” for an extended period of
time now. Aida enjoys mountain climbing and visiting the many breathtaking mountains of our country. Besides, Aida loves doing yoga in her free time.
For me being a scholarship holder of the Hastor Foundation meant making many new beautiful acquaintances and having unforgettable meetings and day trips, but also getting help and having support. In the moments when we’re building our character it’s crucial to have obligations and responsibility, but with the knowledge that we always have someone we
can rely on when we need help.
To conclude, Aida’s message for other scholarship
holders is:
I would say to the current scholarship holders to believe in themselves and in their dreams. With a lot of effort and little luck you can achieve everything. As members of the Hastor Foundation, you’re part of one big family. Through the volunteer experience you have the opportunity to gain various skills that’ll be useful later on in your life. You also have the opportunity to gain new acquaintances and, most importantly, you have your support system.
