This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity is one of the most special things I have experienced. Now I am a person with an insight into the world that only a select few have from my hometown and I am beyond grateful for that. This experience has allowed me to find myself in a way that I wouldn’t have been able to do before. I have stepped out of my comfort zone, thought outside the box and learned about the complex world we are living in. But most importantly I have made friends and memories that will last a lifetime.

As I embark on the next chapter of my life, I reflect on the advice I would offer future UWC students. Take advantage of any chance you are given, whether it be academic or personal, and always keep an open mind and empathy. We may fight to create a more peaceful and just world by grasping these chances and promoting understanding.

With my co-year and our teacher, we managed to organize a fundraising race for women with breast cancer in October. In February, I was a member of a theatre group that prepared a play for our community. Later, in March, I got an opportunity to participate in a half marathon alongside my peers. All of these experiences made me feel grateful and privileged. In moments like those I came to the realization that this is what UWC feels like. It is about good cause, community and acceptance. Everyone is gifted for something and, with hard work, we managed to use our talents to create something bigger than ourselves.

'Thanks to UWC, I became part of the solutions to the problems that our world is currently facing.'

Even though the ongoing pandemic completely changed my second year of IB program and UWC experience, I learned how to become more flexible and creative when it comes to making my UWC journey more memorable. That would not be possible if I was not surrounded by like-minded people and friends who served as a stepping stone in my personal growth both in and outside of the classroom. Without their supportiveness and empowerment, I would not be able to navigate through lockdowns, face daily obstacles, adapt to “new normal” and still dream, smile, laugh, and believe in myself and others. They helped me discover hidden parts of my personality and pave my path to the future.

I also plan to contribute towards the UWC mission and hopefully educate the upcoming generations on the importance of mutual understanding and respect. Coming from a war-torn country, I am more than aware of all the negative aspects that hate towards others can bring upon entire generations, and therefore I hope that some day the message of peace and respect will be stronger than the one of hate and disagreement.

These two years at the UWC Mostar passed very quickly, there were many ups and downs but with the amazing community we have, they all turned into an amazing experience. I am very happy that I had a chance to participate in intercultural projects where we worked on topics that are of a lot of importance for the future. Such projects inspired me to come up with peacekeeping between Ex-Yugoslavia countries for our annual project week and therefore spread awareness of the importance of political relations between them. The project had a very big impact and therefore caught the eye of the UWC international office, which made me extremely proud. I gave the interview for their annual review, talking about the importance of peacekeeping. With this, I really hope that other students will be inspired and therefore try to come up with similar ones, where they incorporate political relations and political issues all together. I must say that after all the amazing experiences that happened throughout these two years, the end of our journey was the most emotional and difficult to handle. It was difficult to separate from people who became my family, but there is one thing that helped me through the separation, and that is the fact that the UWC Mostar community stays together no matter where in the world we are.

One of the memories I made this year which left a huge impact on me was definitely participating in the city half-marathon. Considering that I didn’t actively run before, this was a very spontaneous act that surprised not only my friends, but also surprised me when I actually saw myself at the starting line. To a great surprise to many I managed to finish it alive and well…and very exhausted. A moment before the finish line, when I was completely out of breath and strength, I saw my friends and teachers cheering at all of us who were running. This was the last push to sprint for the finish line. This helped me see just how much people believed in me and how the support I receive from our community is more valuable than any medal. I am not scared of the world anymore and I am ready to take the next challenge in my life because I have more confidence in myself and others and faith that all will be alright in the end. Thank you for trusting me and for giving me this opportunity that I will carry in my life forever.

At the end of this school year, my final year of high school, at the end of one of the greatest chapters of my life, I would like to express my gratitude. If it wasn't for your generous act, I would not have met the people I am proud to call FAMILY. I met people who will be there for me for the rest of my life, and what more could I ask for. Of course, I am glad for the education I received at this institution. The experience changed me so much. I am now able to speak in public without questioning myself twice and doubting my abilities, because I have knowledge. I am proud of who I am and what I achieved and UWCiM community helped me to see that, as much of a cliché as that sounds.

I was able to sit with a Lebanese girl and talk about our countries’ conflicts, and hear about the other side of the gun. All of these experiences made me look at my country from a different perspective, more positively in some ways, and more negatively in others.