RIT Croatia through Lenses
of its Alumni Association Presidents
In this celebratory year, when RIT Croatia is marking its 20thanniversary, it is beneficial to look back and to honor one of the key
stakeholder groups for the success of this institution – RIT Croatia Alumni. RIT
Croatia Alumni community includes more than 1,900 graduates and the RIT Croatia
Alumni Association was founded in 2003. Throughout the past 14 years, this
association has been actively functioning as an influential network which connects
all generations of former students in order to establish their permanent and
mutual cooperation, and to help preserve the spirit of RIT Croatia. With the
help and guidance of the previous and the current Alumni Association President,
many useful events were held, which served the purpose of providing strong
business contacts and raising awareness of the importance of connectivity.
The beginnings were hard as the concept of Alumni Association
was relatively unknown in Croatia and the immediate region; however, strong
relationships that were developed among students during their studying years
have helped in raising awareness about the importance and benefits of
networking. The first Alumni Association president was Izet Ždralović
(presiding from 2004-2008) who remembers those days fondly; he was elected by
his peers and his primarily goal was to plant the seed for creating tight bonds
and lifelong friendships among RIT Croatia Alumni across the generations. He
takes great pride in the fact that he participated in development of this
important aspect of RIT Croatia, and he strongly believes that RIT had a great
impact on other educational institutions in Croatia, as well as on various
industries, where its Alumni have established successful careers. When asked
about what he thinks of the RIT Croatia community today, Izet pointed out "it
is awesome that today, RIT has the presence in my home town Zagreb. At the same
time, it is cool that it started out of Dubrovnik where most of us from the
first generations had put in pieces of our personalities in the shaping of RIT
Croatia”.
Jernej Masnec, former Alumni Association president (2008-2010)
strongly believes that his learning experience at RIT Croatia, both as a
student and later on as an active Alumnus, has formed him into the person he is
today. "It shaped me into a proactive problem solver with great communication
skills, who is not afraid to take risks business or life-wise”, Jernej stated.
Ana Jarak, Alumni Association president from 2012-2016,
emphasized that the Alumni community is very strong and tight in Croatia.
Although it has grown to almost 2000 members now, it still feels like a family.
She has witnessed on numerous occasions of this family coming together: whether
it’s a community event, student mentorships or social gatherings – there is
always a great crowd. In her opinion, the
main reason for such commitment lies in the gratitude that Alumni feel toward
the community that made sure they had the best opportunities while studying. Class
projects, faculty mentorships, coops, made them appreciate these relationships
that made them "ready” for the real world. "I remember one
initiative during my term as the Alumni president, panel discussions on
different careers opportunities in the real sector. Numerous Alumni
participated in these panels at both Dubrovnik and Zagreb campuses, and we
never seemed to have enough chairs in the rooms to seat all interested
students. Each Alumnus, with a different story and a different career path –
and one thing in common: everyone working hard. Failing and succeeding,
learning and sharing, welcoming new challenges. Not one path, not one story
fitting all. And that is the great lesson learned at RIT: pick a road that
works for you and work until you make it. It may not work for everyone else,
but it does for you”, commented Ana when asked about her biggest achievement
during her presidency.
The current Alumni Association President, Nina Mimica, was
elected in 2016. She strongly believes that the biggest asset of the college
community are Alumni itself - their various careers, experiences, knowledge.
That is why, she believes, it is of crucial importance that the Alumni work on
maintaining and improving alumni connection and communication with different
initiatives.The focus of her current mandate is to support and initiate
activities which will foster and improve alumni communication and connection.
Concretely, vice president Vladimir Dujić and myself focused on areas alumni
are interested in based on quantitative responses, and thus with support of
Alumni Office and the Dean, they have
managed to organize Alumni meet-ups in Zagreb, Split, Sarajevo,
Dubrovnik in the academic year 2016/2017. Nina and Vladimir have also supported
RIT Cares community initiative in Zagreb and Split, and they have established
LinkedIn page as one spot for Alumni professional purposes. Moreover, the
Alumni Ambassadors program and Alumni - Student Mentorship program have been
initiated and the entire RIT Croatia community has high hopes in successful
outcomes of both. When asked about her experience at RIT Croatia, Nina has no hesitations when saying "studying at RIT Croatia
was among most memorable periods in my life - good quality education,
possibility to apply learned material in practical manner through various
projects and internships, while at the same time having awesome time and making
friends for life”.
When asked what they would recommend to current and future
students of RIT Croatia, Izet, Jernej, Ana and Nina were all clear and
determined with their messages. It is all about following your dreams and
taking the best of what studying at RIT Croatia has to offer. "Don't be afraid
to take risks and dive into the unknown when you feel it” said Jernej. And
stand behind your choices as they will determine your path in life. "I often
get asked if I would make the same choice if I had a chance. I would not change
a thing, not one. RIT experience made me into a person and a professional I am
today”, concluded Ana.
