We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Aida Mandic a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Aida, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. What’s been the most meaningful project you’ve worked on?
My books. I write about bullying, war, love, social justice, Bosnia and Herzegovina, ambition, courage, uniqueness, discrimination. violence, power, activism, beauty, rebellion, creativity, love, and critical thinking. I write about my past experiences of being a refugee and immigrant. I am a survivor of the Bosnian Genocide.
Aida, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am the Founder and CEO of Searchkey, a company that helps people find resources and information that are relevant to their academic goals. I have built an educational platform so that more students from disadvantaged backgrounds can find scholarships, reach their potential, and achieve their dreams. I was fortunate enough to have been awarded $150,000 in scholarships and merit-based grants in addition to full-ride scholarship offers to several top universities, totaling over a million dollars. I am a Scholarship Expert, Scholarship Advisor, and Edtech Consultant and Specialist.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
I used to be a Bosnian ex-refugee. My Mom and I were in our apartment in Sarajevo when bullets fired through our apartment and landed 2 inches away from us. Both of us could have been instantly killed. Over 100,000 Bosnians were killed. 50,000 Bosnian women were raped. There were massacres and concentration camps. You could open your front door and get shot. Arms, legs, and heads were on the street if you looked out of your window. Maybe you had to eat your pets to survive the shortage of food. There was no water, electricity, and heat. The UN placed an embargo on us so we couldn’t get weapons and food. Bosnian winters are tough because of of the mountains. It was like the apocalypse. Nobody cared. Many foreign governments just turned their back and pretended the situation didn’t exist. I was viciously bullied in school. Some of my classmates thought that it was funny that my father was shot in his ankle by a sniper during the war and barely survived. Nothing intimidates me. There could be a hurricane, earthquake, tsunami, volcanic eruption, zombies, etc. Whatever. I just think about strategy, hard work, and vision. I’m very focused and driven. I read and research a lot. I am. a critical thinker. Refugees are very tough people!
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
I want to shed light on ways in which people can help themselves through creativity. Books, companies, non-profit organizations, volunteering, and investing are ideas that I like to inspire people to have. There has to be a way out of the darkness and chaos no matter how bad the situation might seem. I want to inspire people to think creatively when they watch a movie scene that is morbid. Grab a notebook and pen and think about ways you could exit that situation. If you walk into a store, how could you improve the products and their placement in the store. Everything matters and makes an impact.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.aidamandic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aidawesome/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aidamandicbooks
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidamandic/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aidawesomeee
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@aidawesome
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@aidawesome https://medium.com/@Aidawesome https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/17046592.Aida_Mandic