Among the twelve winners of the "Luča" diploma at the "Ristan Pavlović" Elementary School in Pljevlja this year is Maja Raonic, a girl who finished ninth grade with excellent results and showed that knowledge, perseverance, and hard work are recognized.
Maja suffers from cerebral palsy and is immobile, which is why she uses a wheelchair to move around. However, during all nine years of schooling, she successfully mastered the curriculum and achieved results that she is rightly proud of today.
"I feel happy and proud because, despite all the obstacles I face in my daily life, I managed to be an excellent student and master the entire program I studied. This success means a lot to me because I put in a lot of effort," says Maja, a smiling girl with a bright spirit and a big heart, who is remembered by her friends and teachers for her honesty, perseverance, and willingness to always stand by those she loves.
The path to “Luča”’s diploma was not always easy. During her education, she had three surgeries, frequent colds, and other health challenges. Sometimes she had to study in advance, and sometimes, after a period of recovery, she had to work much harder to catch up on missed material. However, her work habits and perseverance did not abandon her.
Thumbs up for Božo
However, he won't remember the tests and grades from elementary school, but his friends and shared moments, he tells "Vijesti":
"What I will remember most is my class, my friends and the times I spent with them. They would come to my house, where we would hang out and laugh. I also had my best friend at school." God."
An anecdote from history class holds a special place among school memories.
"Once in history class, I was holding my fingers crossed for my friend Božo, who was supposed to be answering. When the teacher asked me why I was holding my hands like that, I said that I was rooting for my friend and that I wanted him to get a good grade, thinking that was enough for a grade. My answer made the whole class laugh and that moment remained in my fond memory," says Maja with a smile, a girl who is blessed with cheerfulness, a sense of justice and loyalty to her friends, traits that her family is just as proud of as her "Luča" diploma.
Of the subjects she liked the most, she said, history, geography, and Russian, but she says she will remember all of her teachers fondly.
“All my teachers were good and I love them all.”
Maja now faces a new chapter, high school, new friendships, and new knowledge. And the "Luča" diploma, which was awarded to only 12 students from her school this year, remains a confirmation of a successfully completed journey, but also a nice introduction to everything that is yet to come.
He says he plans to enroll in a law-administrative major and that he currently has only one wish:
"I want to be healthy and to master the major I'm going to enroll in just like I mastered elementary school."
He is looking forward to his high school days.
"I'm looking forward to the new school, new teachers, new knowledge and friendships that await me. I hope I'll meet good friends and that they will accept me like my friends from elementary school accepted me."
When she's not studying, Maja loves spending time with her friends:
“I like to go out and watch ‘Račak nade’ when I have time, and when I’m at home I like to watch the quiz shows ‘Totalni obrt’ and ‘Slagalica’.”
Maja celebrated her “Luča” diploma at school together with the other winners and their parents. She celebrated the end of nine years of education with her friends, despite the fact that the rain partially spoiled the program and briefly interrupted the joy of the semi-graduates. However, neither the clouds nor the raindrops could spoil the smiles of the students, who celebrated the end of elementary school and the beginning of a new chapter in their lives with much joy and excitement.
Overcame obstacles with the help of family
Her family provided her with the greatest support during her education.
"My grandmother who studied with me and my mother who took me to school every day, and due to numerous architectural barriers and inaccessibility, often had to carry me," says Maja, who is especially grateful to her mother for all the effort, love and support she provided her throughout her years of schooling.
For her mother Tanja Leovac, the “Luča” diploma represents much more than just a school award.
"For me as a mother, this moment represents much more than school success. It is a victory over all the obstacles that came our way, and there were many of them. We turned every other person's 'you can' into a 'we can', and every 'no' into a strong and decisive 'yes'. This is proof for us that with perseverance, work and love, the boundaries set for our children can be pushed," she tells "Vijesti".
She is proud, she adds, not only of her daughter's success, but also of the person she has grown into:
"On her character and the person she has grown into - a brave, hardworking and smiling girl."
During her schooling, Maja surprised her many times.
"Maja is a child who you can't order around, you can only talk to her and negotiate with her. She's always been like that. She doesn't like it when something is imposed on her, but when you make a nice deal with her, she's ready to do more than is expected of her. It was the same with learning. First, there was persuasion and negotiation, and then, when she started working, she didn't give up. Even when she learned everything, she would say: 'Come on, ask me again'. Her persistence and desire to be sure of herself often surprised me," says Maja's mother, who was her greatest support and pillar of support throughout all nine years of schooling, sharing every challenge, but also every joy and success with her daughter.
He particularly emphasizes Maja's sense of justice and loyalty to her friends.
“Since the lower grades, she stood by her best friend Božo, whom we really have to mention because he marked her education, with the special empathy he always had for Maja. If she felt that injustice had been done to him, she would defend him without a second thought, even when it meant confronting the teacher. At the time, I wasn't sure if that was good or bad, but today I am very proud of her. Our goal was never just a diploma, but for her to grow into a good, brave and compassionate girl who has her own opinion, who knows how to stand up for herself and others, and who has enough heart to defend what she loves and believes in. Today, I can say that she is on the right track towards that, and that is a greater success for me than any award.”
Stronger than many health challenges
Three surgeries, frequent colds, and numerous health challenges could have disrupted Maja's work habits, but that didn't happen.
“Every time life slowed us down, Maja would find the strength to keep going. We would always return to the book with a smile. Luckily, we had a great Ivan, Maja's assistant, a person who, with her strength and warmth, was a selfless support in every moment we had. I am grateful to her for the patience she had for me as a parent, the understanding and humanity she showed throughout her stay with Maja. The teachers also had special empathy and understanding in those moments, which meant a lot to us.”
When asked what her fondest memory is from Maja's elementary school years, she answers that every day without additional obstacles was a reason for happiness.
"Every moment spent in school had its own story and value. My most beautiful and successful picture is the one when I wait for her in front of the school and see her satisfied smile. Then I easily take her in my arms and carry her, no matter how difficult it is, because that smile of satisfaction and happiness never allowed me to give up, and therefore neither did she."
Her wishes for Maja's continued education are simple.
"First of all, that she be healthy and happy. That we live one day at a time and that we know how to enjoy the little things. I would like her life to bring her peace and people who will understand and accept her with all her flaws and virtues. That she never loses her big heart, her perseverance and the smile that she is recognizable by. One day Maja wants to be a director, and the next she dreams of recording blogs and sharing her ideas with the world. And that's what's beautiful, that she has her dreams and is not afraid to say them. As for me, I will let time take its course, step by step. Maja is still a child who is growing, learning and discovering herself. And whatever she wants to become, I will be there for her, without pressure, just with faith and support."
Every moment spent in school had its own story and value. My most beautiful and successful picture is the one when I wait for her in front of the school and see her satisfied smile. Then I easily take her in my arms and carry her, no matter how difficult it is, because that smile of satisfaction and happiness never allowed me to give up, and therefore neither did she, says Maja's mother Tanja Leovac
I'm looking forward to the new school, new teachers, new knowledge and friendships that await me. I hope I'll meet good friends and that they will accept me like my friends from elementary school accepted me.
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