Almost exactly two years ago, we proudly saw Marija Nedeljković off as she embarked on her master’s studies at the University of Cambridge, where, thanks to a scholarship from Returning Point and the PEXIM Foundation, she had the opportunity to continue her academic journey in an international environment and build on her knowledge in Data Intensive Science through one of the most significant educational experiences she had had up until that point.
This September, we are equally proud to say that Marija has returned to Serbia, bringing with her new knowledge, experiences and friendships, as well as an even stronger desire to continue sharing what she has learned and experienced over the past two years with her community.
Over the course of these two years, we followed all the important moments, from her first days at the university and getting to know the academic environment to conferences, new people and life in the United Kingdom. After her return, we wanted to hear her reflect on the experience: what has changed for her, what she is taking away from these two years, and what it means to come home with new knowledge and a different perspective.
Looking back at who she was two years ago
When she looks back at herself two years ago, Marija sees a much less experienced version of herself, ready to work and learn, but still not entirely confident about what lay ahead.
With the benefit of hindsight, she says that the first thing she would tell her younger self would be to relax, not to try solving everything at once and enjoy the period ahead of her more. It is only when she looks back on the two years that have passed that she can see how important it was to allow herself to truly experience them.
“I would definitely tell her to relax and take things slowly, because everything will fall into place in the end. And I would also tell her to enjoy it more, because those two years will probably be the best years of her life so far.”
What stayed with her
When talking about everything Cambridge gave her, Marija says that people would naturally expect her to mention the knowledge, professors and education she gained there first. All of these are essential parts of her experience, but when she thinks about what means the most to her today, her answer is more personal.
“The most valuable thing I brought back from Cambridge were actually the friendships I made with the people there. I had the wonderful opportunity to meet so many incredible people, both on my course and at my college, as well as a wonderful Serbian community,” Marija says, adding that she believes those friendships will last a lifetime.
Why she chose to return to Serbia
Although she spent two years in a different academic, professional and social environment, her view of Serbia has hardly changed at all. On the contrary, the experience she gained abroad only strengthened her desire to continue building her life here.
“It is still the only place where I see myself in the future, building both my professional and personal life.”
During her time in the United Kingdom, she made an effort to stay connected to the community in Serbia, including by working on materials for a data science programme aimed at secondary school students. That type of connection with young people who want to learn and grow showed her just how much room there is to bring knowledge and experience gained abroad back into our own environment.
“I think I am still extremely motivated to apply the knowledge I gained there in our own environment.”
Bringing Knowledge Back as Part of Her Journey
For Marija, the idea of knowledge circulation did not begin with her departure for Cambridge. Throughout her education and while growing up, she had the opportunity to see, through various programmes, organisations and experiences, how sharing what we learn with others can create opportunities for them to learn, grow and do the same.
Through these experiences, she became aware of how important it is for what we learn not to remain only ours. Today, after two years of further education and life in an international environment, she also has much more knowledge to share.
“I realised how important it actually is to share what we learn with others.”
Why these experiences matter
When talking about why experiences like these matter, Marija takes a step back to look at the bigger picture: the role young people play in driving change and what experiences gained outside their own environment can bring with them.
“Personally, I think that every change, especially in society, comes from young people.”
She believes that experiences abroad encourage young people to think about how things can be done differently and, when they return, to try to adapt what they have learned to their own environment.
“If young people gain some kind of experience, for example abroad as I did, and learn about different environments or simply about how things work there, they can therefore be motivated to implement that in our own environment.”
The story continues
When we saw Marija off to Cambridge, we knew we were opening the door to a new academic and life experience for her. But what makes this story special is that, from the very beginning, Marija had a clear desire to bring part of that experience back with her and that has not changed to this day.
In that sense, a single scholarship can be the beginning of a much broader story, one that does not end with a degree or a return home, but continues through the people we meet, the knowledge we gain, the experiences we share and the opportunities we can later create for others.
We are proud to have been part of Marija’s journey from the very beginning, and happy to welcome her back to Serbia with everything she has learned and experienced along the way.
And while one chapter of her journey comes to an end with her return to Serbia, another is only just beginning: one in which everything she has learned, the people she has met and the experiences she has gained will take on new meaning through what she goes on to create here.
