Young people have proven time and time again that they can accomplish much more than we give them credit for. In an age when many tend to blame [insert new hit technology here] for whatever is wrong with the younger generations, we can personally vouch that the future is in good hands.
Over the past year, we’ve been approached not only by groups of students eager for a visit to our hubs, but also extremely talented youths who’ve already started making names for themselves in a variety of fields. These young people have shown so much devotion to what they do that we can’t help but feel inspired by them.
To help them achieve their dreams, Mistral was more than happy to sponsor them as they went on to world-renowned global and regional competitions. Here are their stories.
Engineering for a more sustainable world
Merjem Mihaljević and Lejla Alibegović may be high school juniors, but they have already done far more than many of us had at that age. These promising young scientists have set out to revolutionize the construction industry with Glassium, a more efficient and ecological alternative to glass that combines elements of chemical and civil engineering.
Lejla and Merjem’s innovation won gold at the Bosnian Science Project Olympiad (BOSEPO) in Sarajevo earlier this year, and as a result they qualified for further competition at an international level.
Soon after, the young women were invited to present their project at the International Festival of Engineering Science and Technology (I-FEST2) event in Tunis, one of the largest competitions in the field of science and technology.
We were honored to support them on this journey, and when news arrived that Glassium once again received the highest praises and a gold medal to match, we weren’t the least surprised.
Their perseverance and devotion to creating a more sustainable future are inspiring. We can’t wait to see Glassium used all over the world.
Things are adding up in Belgrade
The Second Gymnasium in Sarajevo is the alma mater of many of Mistral’s people, and their approach to STEM education is worthy of praise. We’ve worked with them closely over the years, often hosting eager students right in our Sarajevo hub.
When the school’s mathematics club contacted us, we were more than glad to support their truly awe-inspiring group of young mathematicians as they headed off to Belgrade to participate in the High School Mathematics Cup.
The club, which has been around for six years, brings together the best elementary and high school minds from Sarajevo Canton and beyond.
The club is home to many excellent mathematics and computer science Olympians who have won numerous medals both at home and internationally. One of them, Benjamin Mujkić, was even B&H’s first gold medal winner in the last ten years at the Junior Balkan Mathematics Olympics.
The event in Belgrade brought together 150 students from all across the Balkans and surrounding region. Competition was fierce, but our intrepid team got to pit their brains against some of the best minds in the region.
In the end, they brought home 1 gold and 2 silver medals in mathematics and 1 gold and 1 silver medal in computer science. Impressive!
A healthy mind is made even better by a healthy body
While it may seem that we’d be biased towards science and technology, we also know that athleticism is most definitely a noble pursuit. And we admire anyone who has the drive, passion, and stamina to pursue a sport, especially in competition.
This is where Aiša Huremović comes in. A freshman at the Second Gymnasium in Sarajevo, Aiša has been swimming for 10 years as part of the City Club of Water Sports in Sarajevo.
She’s received fantastic results in the 400, 800, and 1500-meter freestyle in her career, and this year she qualified for the European Junior Swimming Championship in Bucharest, Romania.
The Mistral wind gave Aiša the boost to compete against world-class junior swimmers from all across the globe. Her hard work and determination most definitely paid off as she ended up qualifying for the World Junior Swimming Championships, which will take place later this year.
We’re incredibly proud of her results and look forward to seeing her successes in the next competition and in the years to come. Go, Aiša!
Looking forward to more
While we’re writing this article, four bright students from the Second Gymnasium are packing their bags to attend the International Olympiad in Informatics – IOI 2022 in Indonesia. You’ve read about Benjamin Mujkić’s achievements above, and together with Emira, Haris, Admir, and Faruk, he will be representing Bosnia and Herzegovina at this prestigious world competition. The Informatics Olympiad in Bosnia and Herzegovina Association is continuing to do a great job in helping high school talents at various informatics competitions. These are the partners Mistral very much appreciates, as all these youth will hopefully soon be further contributing to the overall BH software community.
As a people-first company, it’s not just our people and clients that benefit from it, but our communities as well—especially intrepid youths. Our doors are always open to students and young people who are making moves to better themselves, their homes, or even the world.
There’s a lot of potential in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The more young people step up and make waves on a global level, the more the world will see how great this tiny nation of ours is. We’re happy to be just a small part of that—and we can’t wait to see what other bright minds will come our way in the years to come.