Everything started back in 2010 when Samra enrolled IB program at the Second Gymnasium in Sarajevo. She said that her dream as a little girl was to become a florist, but the wishes changed a bit when she enrolled in high school, so she started thinking about studying biology and medicine.
She completed the IB program at the Second Gymnasium with maximum 45 points and students from BiH did not manage to break her record yet. After completing high school, she decided to accept the invitation from Bates College and went to Lewiston to study in 2014.
“I was doing summer research since my first year, first in physical, then in the chemistry of materials, inorganic chemistry etc. I also worked at my faculty, Columbia University and Barnard College in New York. After graduation, I applied to several universities for my PhD and all of them sent me positive responses because I had the best grades. I chose Berkeley because it is one of the top three universities in the world when it comes to chemistry,” said Samra, and added that she had the opportunity to meet famous professors, scientists and Nobel prize winner during her studies.
Although she is focused on preparations of her PhD thesis, which will last for the next five to six years, Samra is already thinking about what to do later.
“I like research work and therefore I would like to continue working in the academy as a professor or in some company. Also, I would like to share my knowledge with young people in BiH, because chemistry is cool, science is cool, and many young people do not know it because they are not exposed to that topic sufficiently, they did not realize their potential yet. That is the reason why I would like for BiH to open an institute that would expose our young people to scientific work. Science represents a long-term investment, it is something that will push our society forward. I would like this to happen in BiH as well.
At the end, Samra sent a message to all young people in BiH and their parents not to give up on their dreams.
(Source: faktor.ba)