In one of the favorite rubrics of the Hastor Foundation Newsletter, we present every month those scholarship holders who are role models to their peers, but also to our readers. This rubric is an opportunity and a space to give special recognition by proudly writing and talking about those who stand out in their academic, sports, or other activities. This month we tell a remarkable story about a young student-athlete, Hamza Turulja, whose journey from a dojo to a university classroom left an indelible mark in the world of sports and education.
Hamza Turulja is a 22-year-old student in his fourth year of studying at the Faculty of Sports and Physical Education in Sarajevo. His life is a testimonial of a marvelous coalescence of academic pursuit and athletic ability, and his achievements are to be admired greatly. Hamza says that karate is his lifelong passion, a journey that has lasted for an incredible 15 years. His unshakeable commitment has brought him to the peak mastery in martial arts – the wanted black belt which is a symbol of countless hours spent polishing his skill. For the last nine years, he has been a member of the national karate team and has been representing his nation in various age categories, from the children’s category to the senior one. In the 15 years of playing sports, Hamza has achieved the following titles: he is a seventime champion of Bosnia and Herzegovina in karate, an impressive four-time Balkan champion individually and as a part of the team, he is also the world vice-champion and vice-champion of the world university games.
In addition to everything we mentioned above about our Hamza, he is also the winner of World Series A and the proud bronze medalist at the Mediterranean Games. The crowning moment of his successes is being named the best young athlete of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2019.
Hamza has been Hastor Foundation’s scholarship holder for two years already, and this is how he describes his special relationship with the Foundation:
Whenever I speak about the Foundation, I am overwhelmed by the positive and good memories because it has been part of my many achievements. With the Foundation, my results in the senior competition are written in golden letters. I always feel welcome in the Foundation, and I get lots of support for my competitions as well as a chance to introduce myself to the public and the members of the Hastor Foundation through social media and the podcast which I truly enjoyed being in.
We continue to follow Hamza in his activities hoping and wishing for him to only continue achieving good results. Finally, we convey his message to our readers:
I would tell young people to be patient and not think that success comes overnight. Good things take a lot of time, and each new day offers us a chance to work and be the best version of ourselves. Using sports terminology, I would say that life is a marathon and not a sprint, so one should remain “grounded” regardless of whether we are doing good at that moment or not.
The life of a professional athlete is not easy in the slightest. Hamza trains every day, travels a lot, and his free time is filled with athletic and academic improvement. Since many participation fees and accompanying costs of his competitions are not paid for by the state, Hamza says that, in addition to everything the Foundation provides, the financial assistance he receives in form of a scholarship is of great importance for maintaining his career.
Prepared by: Sevleta Halilović
