By the time she was in fourth grade in Petar Kočić Grammar School in her home city Novi Grad, Ivana Čulić had not yet decided what to study. Her older sister already started her studies in Banja Luka and Ivana then started to explore available study programs at the University of Banja Luka. She was instantly drawn to natural and engineering sciences, and her first choice was to enroll in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering:

“I really liked mechanical engineering, but stereotypical judgments I came across in my community and close surroundings ruled out my desire to study it - I was told that a girl ought not to study mechanical engineering. And then I discovered the Faculty of Technology of the University of Banja Luka, at which chemical technology was available as one of the courses. As I was getting more informed about it, I realized that the study program in chemical technology at the Faculty of Technology was a perfect combination of natural sciences and engineering, where you can always create something. I knew immediately that it was the right choice for me.”

While she was still an undergraduate student, Ivana considered continuing her studies in Ljubljana since Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia signed the agreement that allows regular students from Bosnia and Herzegovina to study in Slovenia for free. Eventually Ivana gave up on the idea because the officials at the University of Ljubljana recommended that she should first finish her undergraduate studies where she started them in order to avoid repeating a year or having too many exams due to great differences in study programs

When Ivana graduated from the Faculty of Technology of the University of Banja Luka, for a short time she thought about applying for the Erasmus Mundus Program. However, fear of taking an English language test prevailed. At last she chose the University of Ljubljana because it was close, because she already knew people that studied there and were satisfied with life and education system in Ljubljana, and because the Faculty of Technology (in Banja Luka) and the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology (in Ljubljana) collaborated before, for which reason Ivana knew that she would get a chance to work with different instruments and practice lab analysis, which has always been her greatest interest.

LIFE IN SLOVENIAN CAPITAL CITY

At the end of September in 2021, just fifteen days before the new academic year started, Ivana was informed that she was admitted to a two-year-long graduate study program at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Technology in Ljubljana. The enrollment process, as Ivana noticed, was not complicated at all:

„When one wants to enroll in the faculty, the overall average of your grades is calculated and it is important that the majority of subjects you had match the subjects you will have in the following period. I did not experience any difficulties during the application and enrollment process and they even verified an exam I passed at the Faculty of Technology in Banja Luka because I studied there for four years and had a little more knowledge than students who were on three-year-long bachelor studies.“

Even though the lectures that Ivana is now attending and the exams she will soon be taking are in Slovene language, this young chemist is happy about it: “We often have to write and present our seminar papers – the first one I presented in English, and the second one I already wrote in Slovene. Had my studies been in English, I would have never been able to learn Slovene language so well at such short time. It is really not that difficult to learn the language, and I also have the support of my friends that study here in Ljubljana. They always tell me: “Life will force you to learn the language!”

Since it is very hard for foreign students to get student accommodation in student dorms, Ivana decided to live in a private apartment close to the city center with three other roommates – a friend she has known since high school days, a Slovene student, and a student from North Macedonia. Her friend had already lived in that apartment, and when his roommate was about to move away, Ivana came to live in Ljubljana:

“To avoid paying more, my friend suggested that I should take the now-empty room. I pay less than 200 euros for my room, but rent expenses are usually very high here in Ljubljana. Prices go from around 200 to 400-500 euros in shared apartments. I was very lucky as such low rent is neither a common thing nor rule.”

When she started her master studies, Ivana decided to study at the Department of General Chemistry. The elective subjects she took directed her more towards analytical chemistry, industrial ecology, and cleaner production. In addition to learning about things she has always been interested in, Ivana also noticed that student life in Ljubljana is excellent:

“Fare is subsidized and for only three euros on an annual basis you can rent a bike for an hour every day for free. You can always change the bike and then ride again around the city for free. Literally, for only three euros you get the free annual bike ride. Students can also get subsidized meals in quite good restaurants. At the moment I am trying out Chinese cuisine and am enjoying falafels. Students coming from other countries can also take a free university Slovene language course known as Leto plus. It is important to apply for this course in time as only 300 students are admitted every year.” 

SCHOLARSHIPS, ACTIVISM, AND VOLUNTEERING

While she was still an undergraduate student, Ivana started to create opportunities for her personal and professional growth. She applied for various scholarships and became a member of different student associations and non-governmental organizations. By doing so, she met a lot of new people, learned new things, and got to experience life abroad.

At the end of 2017 Ivana applied for the Zoran Djindjic Internship Programme of German Business for Western Balkans, a scholarship that was founded in an honor of Zoran Đinđić, a former prime minister of Serbia that died tragically in 2003. Đinđić received his PhD degree in philosophy in Koblenz and had many friends and fellow workers from all over Germany. The scholarship program offers a three-month-long or a six-month-long practice in leading top companies in Germany:

„All scholarship holders spend one week together before the practice begins. During this introductory week, they get to know one another and prepare for the practice and life in Germany. Everything is organized perfectly. I did my practice at the Fraunhofer Institute where I studied and participated in research on wood. My task was to make synthetic leather from biopolymers – and I did it. Working conditions were terrific – we worked in big laboratories and could use all available equipment. During practice, students receive both scholarship (around 550 euros) and salary. That amount of money is sufficient to live a normal life. I even managed to travel to other cities and places almost every weekend. To speak German is an advantage, but not an obligatory requirement.“

After the practice was over Ivana stayed in touch with other scholarship holders. Since some of them now live in Ljubljana, they helped Ivana to adjust to new life more easily and faster through gatherings and social activities.

Ivana was a coordinator at the YES Alumni Bosnia and Herzegovina, a Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, and today she is a member of their branch office for students from Bosnia and Herzegovina that study abroad. Through activities she organized as Alumni’s coordinator, this versatile young chemist met new friends and learned more about our students’ needs and difficulties they encounter while studying. Carefully planned and intent activities realized by the members of the YES Almuni Bosnia and Herzegovina empower young students, inform them on scholarships, professional practices and workshops, and prepare them for (student) life abroad. Always willing to give back to their community, Alumni members managed to collect money for families that lost their homes in 2020 Petrinja earthquake.

Ivana is also an alumna at the Bosnia & Herzegovina Futures Foundation, an organization that supports young people who study natural, technical and engineering sciences:

„In Futures Foundation I met other students from Bosnia and Herzegovina that were also studying natural and engineering sciences, learned about modern digital tools, and attended numerous workshops, conferences, and webinars. For example, in 2019 I went to the plastic trade show in Cologne. The Foundation's ambassador provided me accommodation and enabled me to see the seven-day-long fair for free. It was an amazing experience. As the Bosnia & Herzegovina Futures Foundation scholarship holders, possibilities are indeed plentiful.“

That Ivana is curious and versatile proves her membership at the Center for Environment, a civil society organization which raises and deals with issues of environmental protection, biodiversity, and urban transport. Since she had become a volunteer and an activist at the Center for Environment in 2019, Ivana participated in many activities and initiatives that aimed at raising the awareness of Bosnian and Herzegovinian society about environment, climate change, air pollution, and burning fossil fuels for heating. Besides organizing interesting campaigns, Ivana also enjoyed regular debates on previously defined topics that they often held. In this way, activists learned how to explain to people and random passers-by, by using plain language, why they should live by the paroles that activists shouted or wrote on their banners.

In October in 2021 Ivana officially became a representative and an associate at i-diaspora and i-platform. She was first introduced with our work and program a few years ago when she attended a summer school we organized in Stolac. After reconnecting with Nikola Burić, the chief executive officer at i-diaspora and i-platform, Ivana decided to join our team and work on projects that she could contribute to with experience and knowledge she has:

 „I am currently working on a youth exchange project Collaboration Balkanika and another mobility project for young people related to the field of environment and river protection. Besides assisting and helping the realization of these projects, I also work on designing the chart of my previous colleagues and coworkers to see whether there is a possibility for further and future collaborations. I hope I will contribute to the work of i-platform and that new ideas will pop up as I research my network.“

LONG-TERM PLANS FOR FUTURE

Even though she is mostly focused on the coming exams and other student duties she has, Ivana already has a plan for future. Aware of the fact that she would be able to work at the faculty, lab, hygiene products industry, water supply system, oil refineries, motor oil production, plastic production and plastic processing, and pharmaceutical industry, Ivana is first planning to assess job opportunities in both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia, but other European countries as well:

 „If a good opportunity comes by, if I see that I could accomplish my goals and continue to work in the field of wastewater treatment, which is the topic of my master's thesis, then I will stay in Bosnia and Herzegovina. If not, then I will look further. It does not have to be Slovenia. Wherever I find a good opportunity for my personal and professional growth and for doing what I love, that is where I'll be. I do not limit myself to a specific country, region or city.“

On a recent webinar she attended as a representative of the Bosnia & Herzegovina Futures Foundation, Ivana heard about the systems that run sensor analysis of specified parameters of all waterways in Sweden. Ivana's long-term plan is to do the same in (and for) Bosnia and Herzegovina and she invites everybody that would like to contribute to this big and ambitious project to contact her and share their ideas and suggestions.

Ivana concluded the story about her life and accomplishments she has had so far with these words:

“I hope my story will encourage young people to create new opportunities for themselves, to support and join positive, creative and socially concerned initiatives, to stay positive and work on themselves because all that will save them from the melancholy and dream-like state in which our country is. Take the best of the best, build your own path, and surround yourself with well-intentioned and hardworking people.”

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