Dear BHAAAS members and friends,
Thank you for joining me today as I stand before you as the newly elected President of our Bosnian-Herzegovinian Academy of Arts and Sciences (BHAAAS). It is an honor and a privilege to have been entrusted with this position. Let me extend my gratitude to the outgoing President, Dr. Amer Smajkic for his dedication and service, and contributing to the even stronger BHAAAS. His leadership guided us through another amazing, successful year and it will be a true challenge to fill his shoes. I also want to congratulate Dr. Adnan Begovic for his position as a vice president.
As we embark on this new chapter together, I want to express my unwavering commitment to our organization’s mission and vision, to our devotion to extend and strengthen our scientific, educational and artistic bridges between our two countries.
We are committed to continue investing an effort to become a leading network for facilitating professional and academic growth of future generations. We have a noble purpose, one that is centered around knowledge, education, science and high standards in the professional and personal lives of those we serve and the communities we engage with.
An organization’s strength lies in its people – you, the passionate individuals who share a common desire to create a better world. Together, we will continue to leverage our collective expertise, skills, and resources to address the challenges and make a lasting difference. I encourage each and every one of you to actively participate, collaborate, and contribute your unique talents to our cause.
Our success depends on our ability to work together to create a stronger impact.
In the coming months, we will focus on several key areas. First and foremost, we will prioritize enhancing our outreach efforts to ensure that our activities and mission reaches a wider audience in both the United States (U.S.) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (B&H). It is crucial for us to increase our presence and visibility in Bosnia and Herzegovina throughout the whole year. We specifically want to target and enhance engagement with students and young professionals in our workshops, seminars, educational and professional activities.
Secondly, we will be investing time and energy in building partnerships with other organizations, such as different universities and other educational institutions, both in the U.S. and in BiH, with a goal to facilitate communication and collaboration, among and between students and professionals in both countries.
And the third, and maybe the most important, we need to focus our efforts on modernizing education. We will engage students in B&H who will become ambassadors of change–those who will embrace scientific research, new technologies, newer ways of management and leadership, in their respective fields.
By creating an environment where we promote science, quality and the values of networking, we can collaborate with educators and young people in B&H and together help them unlock their full potential and create lasting change. For example, at the moment, BHAAAS’s mentorship program, in which medical doctors and professionals have been matched to medical students in B&H, is in full swing and we’re very proud of that!
In the future, we will continue our structural and systemic reorganization of BHAAAS, more sustainable fundraising, upgrading our website to include new features and programs, engaging members, so please look out for that as well!
In conclusion, my fellow members, I stand before you here today with great optimism and a deep sense of responsibility. I am very confident that together we can build upon our past successes and reach new heights.
I look forward to working with each and every one of you. Thank you once again for your trust and support.
Eldina Nizamić, MD
BHAAAS President