„All who have accomplished great things have had a great aim, have fixed their gaze on it, and have persevered when it seemed impossible”, are the words of Dr. Orrison Swett Marden, an American inspirational author. This month, we will complement the story of goals and successes by introducing Almedina Mušanović, a talented fourth-year student of Health Nutrition and Dietetics at the Faculty of Health Studies, University of Sarajevo.
She was born in 2001 in Sarajevo, completing elementary school in Ilijaš and the Medical High School Jezero in Sarajevo. Throughout her education, she stood out with exceptional success. Until the age of seventeen, she actively and very successfully engaged in athletics, winning significant awards and medals at numerous competitions. However, due to academic obligations and an accelerated pace of life, she stopped pursuing “the queen of sports”. She is also a member of the Association of Nutritionists of Bosnia and Herzegovina, actively collaborating on specialized projects, which are her primary field of education and additional professional experience.
Almedina became a scholarship recipient of the Hastor Foundation in the early days of high school and has been actively involved in its work and activities since then. She learned about the Foundation and its noble goals through her mother’s friend and decided to apply for the scholarship. Her first volunteering experience was in the mail protocol team, and her effort, hard work, and dedication brought her recognition and a prominent role in the team. As she emphasizes, the experience of volunteering in mail protocol provided her with new knowledge and skills, considering that dozens, and sometimes hundreds, of envelopes need to be reviewed and processed at the Hastor Foundation’s address. Almedina particularly enjoys handling letters and scholarship applications, as it allows her to be a link in the chain of good that the Hastor Foundation does every day.
As the coordinator of her team, Almedina stands out with dedication and precision in every task entrusted to her. Communication with older Foundation scholarship recipients played a crucial role in her growth and development. They were the initial spark on her path to success.
Accepting our limitations is necessary. Once accepted, we can surpass them. Do not look back. It is essential to do what lies ahead in the best possible way. The Hastor Foundation has been a key factor that supported and motivated me from high school to college. This scholarship prompted me to strive for more ambitious life goals, emphasizes Almedina.
Certainly, as she pointed out herself, the material support provided by the Foundation to its scholarship recipients is not the initial satisfaction. The greater pleasure is the overall concept of the Foundation as one big family and genuine altruism in helping other young people, passing on knowledge and skills, as well as the camaraderie and communication segment that significantly affects the thinking and mood of a person as a social being.
The Hastor Foundation is expanding and upgrading year by year with young talents ready to help each other and compete in goodness. The special satisfaction lies in being recognized as potential, and then being involved in various activities, as well as the particularly noble act of volunteering. The most beautiful aspect of volunteering is not only helping students fulfill their school duties but also the camaraderie, which always lifts my spirits.
She advises young people to have a clear vision of their lives and consciously work towards creating and achieving their goals, positioning themselves far ahead of others.
It is necessary to focus on the possibilities of success, not potential failure. Failure is, in fact, an opportunity to try more wisely the next time. Each of us can contribute to making this world a better place; everyone is unique in their way. We should not view individuals as superior or better than us but should strive together to achieve a higher level of excellence.
Therefore, following Almedina’s saying, we should always have long-term goals so as not to be disappointed by short-term failures. The desire for success must be greater than the fear of failure. Achieving set goals requires a lot of work, effort, and investment of oneself and one’s time. Sometimes we may not immediately reap the fruits of our labor. Sometimes we may have to wait for a certain period. But, they have ripened just for us. Let’s not forget and neglect them.
Almedina Mušanović is an inspiration for all of us. With her dedicated work and positive approach, she continues to build the path to success. Follow your dreams, work on yourself, question, contemplate, because even a small group of thoughtful individuals can change the world.
Prepared by: Amina Bašić
