A Portrait of Perseverance: A Graduate in Her Own Words

Sabina Mujic in Her Own Words

Tonight, as I stand here, I can’t help but first thank the people sitting behind me. Without their help and support, I probably wouldn’t be telling you that, as of tonight, I’m the only person in my family who has graduated from college.

I was born and raised in Bosnia, and as many of you know, my country went through a war in the 1990s. As a child growing up in a war, for years, I didn’t know what safety was—let alone the feeling that life was stable enough to hope for something or to achieve something. I didn’t even know what candy was. I’d heard of candy, but my mind couldn’t grasp the concept of such a delicious concoction—one that I wouldn’t taste until I was much, much older.

“Never let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve your goals and your dreams. Never stop believing in yourself. Never think that you’re not worth it, because you are. ECPI University made my dreams come true.”

~ Sabina Mujic, Healthcare Administration Graduate – Greenville Campus

The war taught me to be a fighter and not to give up. War has shown me that things can change overnight. One day you can have money, fortune, and family, and the next day, your house is being bombarded, and you are left with absolutely nothing.

At the age of 23, I moved to the U.S. to pursue my American dream. It didn’t take long for people to tell me that the American dream I was speaking of was but a wisp—quiet and almost nonexistent. I didn’t listen. After all, we Bosnians tend to be rather stubborn. It took me two years to make a decision to pursue my bachelor’s degree, and believe me, I was extremely nervous.

As a non-native English speaker, I was overwhelmed by the differences in the school system, but the people behind me made sure that I had every tool necessary for my success. Another person I’d like to thank, and she’s sitting right there, that beautiful blonde lady, my mother, who raised me during the raging war in Bosnia, who fought beyond reason to keep food on the table—the person who was always there for me no matter what—to you, Mom, I owe everything, and I’m standing here tonight to let you know, to let everyone know that I did it. I made it. We made it!

This has been, by far, the best experience of my life, and I will forever cherish moments I spent on campus. The people I met are the kindest people in the world. I will forever keep them in my heart. And I thank you for everything you have done for me.

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To all of you in audience, I have one piece of advice: Never give up! Never let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve your goals and your dreams. Never stop believing in yourself. Never think that you’re not worth it, because you are. ECPI University made my dreams come true, and I wanted to quit so many times.

Hardship has both challenged and fortified my discipline, but at the end of the day, the goal was clear. And as Ellen DeGeneres says, “Follow your passion, stay true to yourself, never follow someone else’s path unless you’re in the woods and you’re lost and you see a path—then by all means you should follow that.” Thank you for all who have guided me on the path thus far. Let’s go out there and make the path smoother for others and forge new ones for ourselves!