We are happy to share a success story from our dear alumnus, Melina Nuhić. After finishing high school in Sweden, she decided to return to her home country, Bosnia and Herzegovina where she received a BA degree in International Relations at IUS. Melina then moved to Milano, Italy to pursue her Master’s degree in International Cooperation and Development. She adds that this Master program helped her discover her passion for human rights and exploring solutions to questions, such as poverty, inequality, conflicts and instability. Therefore, she accepted a traineeship at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, France where she worked at the Youth Department within the Directorate of Democratic Citizenship and Participation.
After completing her traineeship, she moved back to Sweden and got a job in the public sector working as a Career Advisor/Work Consultant in the area of labor market policy. Two years later she started working as a Project Manager on integration issues which were funded by the European Social Fund. When the project ended, Melina continued working as a coordinator at the Department of Labor Market in the field of Business Development.
After five years of working at the municipality, she moved on to the Council of Swedish European Social Fund (ESF) working as a Regional Coordinator on funding projects whose activities aim to reduce unemployment and exclusion, strengthen Sweden’s long-term supply of skills and growth and increase cohesion within the EU.
You can read more about Melina’s story and her experience below!
At first, I was more interested in studying Public Relations, but the field of International Relations grew on me as I learned more and more about it. IUS was maybe the first step towards discovering a whole new area of interest that I am passionate about and it eventually got me where I am today. This university is a place where you meet people from all around the world and learn about different cultures, religions, values, and morals that surround us. This is an experience I took with me in my further studies and work.
Facing reality is what kept me going and working when the circumstances were far from ideal. It is very easy to give up but do not get stuck in the past, try to move forward the whole time. Talk about it with your family, friends, colleagues, professors. And if that does not work, try doing something fun! Motivation depends on how we define success. Success for me means doing something that makes a difference and being able to grow and develop both personally and professionally. Never forget that the smallest things you do can make a difference.
As a student I was a perfectionist. I needed to have the best grades and it was important that I don’t disappoint my family. But we bind ourselves with shackles! We are afraid of trying something new, we worry too much about what others think. Make mistakes, learn from them and eventually accept that it is okay to fail. Seize every opportunity that comes your way. Let yourself discover new things and meet a lot of new people. Do not wait until the last moment to study. Manage your time and push yourself out of your comfort zone but never do anything that makes you uncomfortable. Do not compare yourself to other students. If something does not make you happy, change it. Have fun!
