ABOUT ME My name is Elma Ahmetovic and I am a 17 year old senior at Sport and Medical Sciences Academy in Hartford, Connecticut. Some of my hobbies are drawing, playing soccer and hiking. My parents are from Bosnia which is a very small country located in South Eastern Europe. In April 1992, Bosnia-Herzegovina declared its independence from Yugoslavia. Over the next several years, Bosnian Serb forces, targeted both Bosnian and Croatian civilians resulting in the deaths of over 100,000 people by 1995. This genocide tore many families apart and to this day many are left with PTSD. A year later my parents meet and fell in love. They wanted to get married and start a family a few years later. They knew there was no future for them in Bosnia so they came to America in June 2000. My parents came to America with one bag and the clothes on their backs. They came here with no work experience and they did not know how to speak a word in English.I was born on August 16, 2000, over time my parents began to establish a better life. With the help of family/friends everything fell into place. It's truly a blessing to have such loving parents who never gave up and always pushed themselves for their children to not have to experience their struggle. Growing up I learned to value my family and education. Coming from an immigrant family has motivated me to set short term and long term goals so in the future I can repay my parents for who I am today. Not only do I want to help my parents but anyone else that has been in their shoes. This is where my capstone falls into place, I decided to help a Syrian refugee family who is going through the same struggles I did.
MISSION STATEMENT My mission is to never pass up a good opportunity when it comes my way. I also want to continue to step out of my comfort zone and to take risks to grow. I plan on attending the University of Connecticut for four years. At UConn I plan to major in Finance and complete my masters. During this time I will also take classes to become a licensed realtor on the side. While achieving my goals I want to help those who are at a low point in their life and give back to my community.