BH Futures Benefits: Esma Đulović and her Internship

99 new scholars joined the BH Futures Foundation this October. Central to the scholarship experience in our Foundation is the one-year mentorship, where our students get to work with experts from the industry to improve their skills and define their career path and goals. Our mentors help their mentees find their first internships, work on their improvement, and help them create a bigger picture. One of our senior scholars, Esma Đulović, met her mentor Elvir Hadić in November, and Elvir has already helped Esma land an internship at the APS Engineering company in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina. We interviewed Esma and her mentor Elvir to see how it’s been.

Esma, you became a senior scholar at BHFF this October. What was the spark that made you join BHFF?

I saw a couple of interviews where Edhem Eddie Čustović, the founder of the Foundation, talked about his visions for the youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I was moved by his words and plans. When I heard about the Foundation I was interested immediately. Upon reading about it a bit more my interest grew and I found that the defined mission and vision of BHFF is what sparks joy in my own private life. Application was only natural after that.

You already got to work with your mentor on your professional development and you settled an internship (congratulations!). Could you tell us more about that?

Thank you so much! Well, to be quite honest it was all very fast and simple thanks to my mentor and the amazing company APS Engineering. During our first online meeting my mentor shared with me his thoughts on what the youth of Bosnia and Herzegovina needs and how he would like to contribute. Nearing the end of the talk he told me about how important practical knowledge is and how he could offer me an internship if I am interested, in his own company here in Sarajevo. I was of course delighted and excited immediately.

How did the collaboration happen? 

My mentor arranged it all in a couple of emails. He talked to his mechanical engineer, Elma Hajrulahović and technical director, Dado Durić. We exchanged contacts and agreed to meet by the end of that week. This is my first professional internship so I was a bit worried about how competent I really am going to be given that I am only in my second year of studies. Thankfully, all worries faded away as soon as I got to sit at a table with Elma and Dado. They explained everything to me, we talked about how my internship could be arranged and made an outlining of the plan for the upcoming days. I am still at the start but everyone at the company is very welcoming. I got an opportunity to work and talk to professionals from fields of architecture, civil and mechanical engineering.

What is the most valuable part of your internship experience?

Having an internship this early on in my career is challenging and a step outside of my comfort zone which of course always yields growth in ways we are often not even aware of. I had very little practical training given that my studies have been mostly general since I am only on my third semester and not directed to a certain branch yet. This internship gives me an opportunity to get a feel for what a job of a mechanical engineer might look like. Being able to talk to and work side by side with professionals at APS Engineering is very inspiring. I also have access to a lot of knowledge directly correlated to my industry and people who can direct me in the right way and talk to me about the real life of an engineer. I am learning more each day and I believe my knowledge will only expand as time moves on.

How is this experience going to shape your future career path? 

I am hoping that through this experience I will be able to be more confident and equipped for taking on new challenges of this kind in my future life. I will always cherish the openness and warmth I was welcomed with to APS Engineering. Apart from gaining technical knowledge I am also given an opportunity to see how a functioning and healthy collective of workers operates.

What are your hopes for 2021 as a senior scholar at BHFF?

My hopes as a senior scholar are to be more directed in the field of Mechanical engineering by the end of 2021 and to gather as much knowledge as I possibly can from the opportunities BHFF offers its scholars. I am hoping to connect with peers and professionals guided by the same ideas for improvement and prosperity of our country.

Elvir Hadić is an owner of APS Engineering and APS Facade, a companies thata are specialists in the design of high advanced solutions for complex façades and building envelopes operating as a translator of architectural vision into a building reality. Elvir is our mentor and a friend for over a year now and we are immensely thankful for his time and devotion to help the young people in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Elvir, you became Esma’s mentor this October. How did you decide to become a mentor at BHFF?

The reason to become a mentor at BHFF is because I share the same ideas and passion of sharing knowledge and helping people grow to the highest level. Also I am very impressed with the achievements of BHFF to date and I want to help them to continue and to grow bigger.

How did you decide to help young people of Bosnia and Herzegovina?

I have two young daughters studying at the moment here in the Netherlands and seeing how much attention they get from our education system was the reason to try to create a bit of that for our Bosnian young generation.

You helped Esma become an intern early on. Why is it important to give young people an opportunity to grow beyond formal education?

Practical education is the most important part of the whole education period. During this period students gain professional experience in the field of where they will get involved in after the study.

Are you looking forward to working as a mentor in 2021?

I am looking forward to working with motivated young people in 2021 and with BHFF to create as many as possible good opportunities for our new generation!