Countdown to Commencement 2020: Berina Ajanovic

This week’s Countdown to Commencement features Berina Ajanovic, a nursing major who was nominated by Dr. Rick DeJesus-Rueff, emeritus vice president for student affairs and adjunct faculty member.

Originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ajanovic is a First Generation Scholar, an experience she has truly enjoyed throughout her time at Fisher.

“My parents never had the opportunity to go to college when we came here, so I was the first person in my family to go. And this scholarship really helped me go out into the Rochester community and see all different kinds of people in the community and just explore what Rochester is really about,” she said.

As a First Generation Scholar, she has spent time volunteering at Eugenio Maria de Hostas Charter School, Community Place of Greater Rochester, and Homework Huddle, a tutoring program hosted by Camp Good Days and Special Times. She has also been a resident assistant, serving as a resource and mentor for students transitioning to Fisher, and has enjoyed her involvement with the Teddi Dance for Love.

“I am always inspired by students who engage in the learning process so that they can become better persons,” said DeJesus-Rueff. “She is an eager learner and equally committed to using her learning for positive purposes.”

Her optimism, sincerity, and commitment to being the best person possible are among the qualities that he will remember most about Ajanovic.

“I am so confident in her, that I predict she will one day be as influential a leader in nursing as Dean Dianne Cooney Miner,” DeJesus-Rueff added.