Freshman on a path to success

Amra Suljic

Amy Johnson Copy Editor

Amra Suljic, a UMKC Freshman, recently recieved the Our Voice Our Country scholarship.

By winning the scholarship, Suljic recieved $1,000 toward her tuition.

With a major in communications studies and a minor in German, Suljic aims to become heavily involved in student activities.

A recent Park Hill High School graduate, Suljic is still undecided about her second major; which could be psychology or political science.

Suljic has four years of experience at Park Hill working as lead anchor of the Trojan TV News and was the President of the TV Broadcast club. This experience allowed Suljic to attend the National Journalism Convention in Washington, D.C. last year.

This taste of the real-world journalism industry only fueled the 18-year old’s drive to mold her own college experience.

While many new and transferring students to UMKC may focus simply on locating their classes properly, Suljic looked at her grander plans.

“My goals at UMKC are to have a high GPA, get involved with a lot of activities, make a lot of new friends and graduate,” Suljic said.

Suljic’s passion for journalism and mass media communication began at a young age.

“I was born in Bosnia, and then my family moved to Germany where they stayed for seven years before returning to Kansas City, Missouri,” Suljic said.

Suljic has always been proud of her rich ethnic history and background living abroad and in the U.S.

As a German tutor and member of the Foreign Exchange Club in high school, Suljic continued to share with others the appreciation she has for other cultures and the way they exchange information and ideas.

Suljic also helped transform ideas into action on the Junior Executive Council, a form of student government, at Park Hill.

When it came time to think about college, Suljic spent many hours volunteering at elementary schools and clothing closets to gain hours for the A+ program.

The A+ School Program provides qualified students from designated A+ high schools the opportunity to further their education at a community college, and other participating universities for free or at a reduced rate.

Over the summer, Suljic took advantage of her time spent volunteering and attended Maple Woods community college, knocking out some pre-requisite hours allowed for an ambitious first college semester.

In preparation for attending UMKC, Suljic put her communication skills to the test with a series of essays, garnering such awards as the Parkville Legion Post scholarship and UMKC Leadership award.

Suljic demonstrated her ability to transform ideas into workable solutions and actions.

For the Our Voice Our Country scholarship, Suljic expounded on the problem of organ donor shortage and how to solve it.

So, what does this future UMKC success story plan to keep herself busy with while living on campus? Suljic plans to join many student organizations including: Mock trial, SIFE, a sorority, newspaper and radio.

Being fluent in three languages, this young collegian will be sure to build bridges of understanding between students and staff alike.

ajohnson@unews.com