Nikola Pajkic

Sweden
PLE 2020

“As someone born in Serbia but having lived in Sweden for most of their life, the question of where I’m from was never really difficult. In Sweden, I’d tell people I’m from Serbia. In Serbia, I’d tell people I live in Sweden. But at YYGS, when asked where I’m from, I had to sort myself out. What didn’t help was that I was in Serbia at the time of the program. “Hi, I’m Nikola, and I’m from uh…, well I’m from Serbia, and I live in Sweden. And I’m reporting live from Serbia”. Especially during family time, we were given the opportunity to explore our identities, a testament to YYGS being beyond a strictly academic program.”

Currently, I spend a lot of my time on Sticker Street UF. UF, translated, stands for “Young Enterprise”, a program that helps high school students run their very own business. There are six of us, namely five classmates and myself. Our vision is to aid teenagers in their self-expression, as well as to convey important messages in the process. The way we plan to do this is by designing, manufacturing and selling our own stickers — and I am the one responsible for the manufacturing. Included in sticker purchases, we will have bonus stickers with reminders about keeping distance, not littering, and more.

Since I was little, I’ve enjoyed arts and crafts, especially projects that required great meticulousness. Cutting out our stickers has helped me return to doing this. Additionally, I’ve been interested in business for a long time, so getting to learn from practice in a real situation like this has presented me with a fun and challenging learning experience. Aside from using this medium to make sure people keep their distance (among other things), I also find great value in gathering the experience necessary to do bigger things later on!

Ambassador Year: 
2020