The column of active youth is a space within which we showcase the most valuable scholarship holders of our Hastor Foundation every month. In this small space, significant stories are written about those who use every free moment to engage in beautiful and useful activities, striving to make the society they live in better, more beautiful, and healthier. RAM is a column dedicated to those who actively work every day to improve their society and enhance themselves, so it is our pleasure to talk about one of them every month. In the following, we present the active involvement of our scholarship holder, Neđada Ramić, a second-year student at the Faculty of Health Studies in Sarajevo, who proudly declares that she has been a Hastor Foundation scholarship holder for eleven years now.
Neđada’s journey with the Hastor Foundation began when she was still a student, participating in mentorship meetings. Each new volunteer group and every mentor left a deep impression on Neđada’s memory because, as she describes it, every volunteering experience was uniquely beautiful and productive. In addition to forming numerous friendships, Neđada mentions that they spent their time learning, cleaning parks, exploring cities, attending educational sessions, and engaging in debates on current issues both in the local community and the world. Currently, Neđada volunteers in the Foundation’s office as a member of the administrative team. Despite initially thinking that she wouldn’t “fit in” due to her extroverted nature and hyperactivity, she found this form of volunteering to be very enjoyable and enriching, expanding her knowledge and skills.
Although volunteering may initially seem like a small and insignificant activity, consistently practicing volunteering leads to adopting the principles of continuous assistance to others. Now, I see helping as a routine, a significant and beneficial thing that I apply daily. I find motivation for volunteering within myself, in other inspirational people who serve as my motivation, and in the fulfillment I experience when I realize how much our small help can mean to others, says Neđada. She claims that volunteering has helped her improve herself as a person.
Neđada highlights how volunteering motivated her to overcome personal obstacles such as the fear of public speaking or talking to unfamiliar people. Through volunteering, she had the opportunity to engage in conversations with many individuals, thereby enhancing her interpersonal skills and ultimately building confidence when interacting with others. She mentions that she has nurtured volunteer values within herself since she was young, but through monthly meetings and volunteering within the framework of the Foundation itself, she realized where to direct her time and activities, ensuring that they bring benefits to the entire society.
From a young age, I strived and made an effort to interact with people in need and help them. That’s why I was drawn to the field of healthcare and assisting those who are sick and vulnerable. I believe that empathy and selflessness are the most beautiful qualities of every individual, and that’s what makes us human at our core. I recognized these qualities in the work of the Hastor Foundation. The Foundation has had a significant influence on shaping me into the person I am today because it taught me from a young age to work hard and strive in school. On the other hand, it continually shows me the importance of volunteering and helping others, says Neđada.
Neđada shares that athletics has always been her first love, and everyone knew her as a lively, energetic child who was always on the move. Through her numerous achievements in athletics, she demonstrated how hard work pays off in every area, especially in sports. Her most significant achievement in athletics, she points out, was her participation in the European Team Championships in Cyprus in 2021. In her free time, she enjoys reading books, hiking, and volunteering. Given her interest in sports-related injuries and rehabilitation, it was natural for her to enroll in the Physiotherapy program after completing high school at the Sarajevo Medical School. As a member of the administrative team at the Hastor Foundation, she spends her volunteer hours processing and documenting various documents and maintains constant communication with other scholarship holders.
The Hastor Foundation shapes us as young people and guides us to become moral and strong individuals. For generations, the Foundation has been molding its scholarship holders into valuable individuals who continue to inspire positive changes in society, following the Foundation’s own example. In a way, I can compare the Foundation to a second family. It has helped me achieve my goals in school, further motivated me to learn and work, expanded my education, and helped me broaden my horizons and knowledge on many topics. Without the Hastor Foundation, I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today, and I wouldn’t have become the person I am, Neđada emphasizes.
Through the Hastor Foundation, Neđada learned how to channel her volunteer activities in the right direction and how to gather valuable experiences along that path that will make her life easier in the future. She advises other scholarship holders to improve themselves in a similar way.
My message to the scholarship holders of the Hastor Foundation is to be as active as possible in the fields that interest them. By doing so, you’ll make many friends, gain new experiences and knowledge, and, in the process, help others also. It’s especially important to view volunteering as an opportunity to enhance your own personality, she concludes.
Prepared by: Aleksandra Đukić
