Ismar Kovačević Fulfilled His Dream: American Schools Are Like in Movies, Just Without Separate Cliques
Americans often ask me where BiH is located. Many of them know about Edin Džeko, Džanana Musa, Jusuf Nurkić or Dubioza kolektiv, says the high school student
Seventeen-year-old Ismar Kovačević, a student at Sarajevo's Second Gymnasium, had his wish fulfilled to study part of his education in America. He is participating in a student exchange program in the USA on behalf of Rotary Club Sarajevo as a guest student of the Ronkonkoma Rotary Club from Long Island.
– I would like to thank Rotary Club Sarajevo headed by President Mr. Munir Čengić, Rotary Club Ronkonkoma, the Bunicci family and everyone who made this unforgettable life experience possible for me. Rotary Club Sarajevo is part of an international humanitarian organization called Rotary International, which is dedicated to humanitarian goals, spreading goodwill and understanding among people in the world. As part of its activities, Rotary Club Sarajevo has been running the Rotary Youth Exchange Program for more than 10 years. It is important to note that the program is two-way, which means that students from abroad simultaneously come to our country. The program is focused on young people aged between 15 and 18, lasting one year, specifically from August to June. The goal of the program is to enable young people to spend one school year studying abroad, where in addition to education they gain knowledge and become familiar with other cultures. As part of the program, students are housed with host families, where they have the opportunity to learn more about the way of life and customs there, and through numerous school and extracurricular activities they meet and make many friends – says Ismar Kovačević.
The student of Sarajevo's Second Gymnasium is very happy, even surprised by the hospitality of his hosts, as well as the Ronkonkoma Rotary Club and the entire community.
– I expected a typical American school from the movies, with the famous lockers and cafeteria, sports games and parties at school, separate groups of cool people, nerds, athletes and such. Everything is true, except there are no separate groups. Everyone treats you very friendly and everyone will try to learn something more about you. The school is large, has about 2,000 students and various activities are represented. Regarding grades, grading is done in writing, through homework or essays. All of this is scored and ultimately goes into your grade. Everything you do counts, and you get a grade for your overall work. American school is less demanding than schools in BiH. However, it requires you to study and do homework almost every day. They use the internet for education much more. Some skills such as research and writing are developed more, and learning is much less focused on memorizing facts – notes Kovačević.
As he says, the Bunicci family where he is staying lives in one of the most beautiful parts of Ronkonkoma, near the famous Lake Ronkonkoma.
– The town is located on the Long Island peninsula which belongs to New York and is about 60 kilometers from the center. The Buniccis are one of the main reasons why I have such a positive exchange experience. I am lucky to get along great with them, and they are always there to help me in various situations. Besides that, they have provided me with wonderful experiences, such as trips to New York, New Jersey and surrounding attractions. In BiH I would never have the opportunity to visit so many new places in such a short time. I like that they are very family-oriented and care a lot about togetherness. They are not burdened by any side things and they are each other's priority. Upon arrival I met neighbors, relatives and their friends. I am very close to Coll, the youngest member of the family, my peer – says Ismar.
In addition to traveling with the Bunicci family, he participated in two workshops for exchange students.
– One was held on a small island in Connecticut, and the other in Washington D.C. The next trip I'm going to Boston. Washington is definitely a city worth visiting. The whole city is one big monument, the National Mall lined with so many memorials and monuments, from Lincoln's and Washington's, to Jefferson's and Luther King's... There is of course also Capitol Hill, the White House, Library of Congress. Americans often ask me where BiH is located. At first they introduced me as a guy from a small country in Europe. Many of them know about Edin Džeko, Džanana Musa, Jusuf Nurkić or Dubioza kolektiv – explains Kovačević.