GSP Alum Story: Aida Mandić

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with GSP alumn, Aida Mandić.  She has quite an inspirational and interesting background and story to share.  She was born in 1990 and grew up in Bosnia.  While just a little girl, the genocide broke out in her native country.  She recalled a story of a bullet landing just inches away from her and her mom in her apartment.  Her dad was shot in the ankle, but thankfully survived.  She was able to leave Bosnia, and jumped from country to country - living in a refugee camp in Czech Republic, to Paris, France, Croatia, Malaysia. 

 At age 7, she arrived in the US. While in the United States, she experienced xenophobia and people would tell her “go back to her home country”.  These experiences shaped Aida into the strong and resilient woman she is today. She stands for the idea that there is too much hatred in the world and wishes for a world in which there is less hatred.  Even though she is only in her early 30s, she feels that she has the stories of a 90 year old.

After going through school, Aida eventually attended the University of Michigan, joining the Global Scholars program during her time here.  She studied women’s studies.  Aida shared that GSP was a wonderful experience for her where she had the opportunity to further meet people from other backgrounds.   Following graduation, she started writing at 23. She writes on topics ranging from love, friendships, ambition, courage, and creativity.  She has written over 100 books, and has published 78. One particular book she noted during our interview includes “What is Life Anyway”. She shared that her passion to positively change the world fuels her ambition and her writing.  

Aida shared her love of the GSP community during our conversation.  She found GSP to be an incredible way to connect with others and expand her horizons.  She shared that “It definitely enriched my experience and gave me motivation to research, travel, volunteer, and get involved more!” She recalls being a part of a Global Understanding program, and very much enjoying connecting with students from different parts of the world.

There is so much to take away from hearing Aida’s story.  Some of my takeaways are that age does not define the depth of your experiences.  Aida is so young but has such a wealth of knowledge and experiences that we can all learn so much from.  Aida’s story is also inspirational.  She demonstrates so much courage, strength and resilience which inspires me to persevere. Lastly, Aida’s strong desire to positively impact the community motivates me to want to have a similar impact.  

I hope that this blog can spread Aida’s story as well as her messages.  

Below is a picture of Aida in a white dress with floral patterns on top.  She is standing in front of a brown building and the sky is blue with few clouds.