On Saturday, February 17th, the Croatian Cultural Society Napredak in Sarajevo signed contracts with some of this year's scholarship and support recipients, namely 31 undergraduate students who received scholarships and support from Napredak's scholarship fund for the academic year 2023/2024. These scholarships are also supported by the "Ivo Andrić - Vladimir Prelog" University and the Subfunds "Irena Kozarić" and "Vid Puljić".
In the academic year 2023/24, the Central Administration of HKD Napredak will sponsor a total of 121 students who are members of HKD Napredak. More than 170,000 KM will be allocated for scholarships, the highest amount since the revival of the Society in 1990.
The signing ceremony was attended by the President of HKD Napredak, Dr. Nikola Čiča, Vice Presidents: Prof. Dr. Hrvoje Milošević, Miroslav Landeka, and Josip Križanović, as well as members of the Central Administration: Sretko Tomić, Ivica Kovačević, and Franjo Leovac.
The scholarship recipients were first greeted by the Vice President of HKD Napredak and the President of the Youth and Scholarship Commission, Prof. Dr. Hrvoje Milošević, who congratulated all the recipients and wished them success in their further education.
"I am pleased to see you, the youth, here today, representing a bright spot in our society through your investment in education. Continue to work on yourselves and your education, and we will support you as much as we can. As recipients of Napredak scholarships, we ask you to be recognizable in your communities and to contribute to the work of branches and local communities," emphasized Vice President Milošević.
Vice President Miroslav Landeka also greeted the attendees, highlighting Napredak's continued mission over the past 122 years.
"In recent years, we have introduced the practice of awarding scholarships in the three capital cities, Sarajevo, Zagreb, Mostar, and as of this year, Tuzla, to demonstrate our unity. I congratulate you all and wish you to be good people above all and proudly say everywhere that you are members of Napredak and Napredak's scholarship recipients," said Landeka.
Dr. Nikola Čiča, President of HKD Napredak, also greeted the scholarship recipients and expressed satisfaction that Napredak is once again able to support young, talented, and successful individuals this year.
"This year, Napredak has secured the highest amount of scholarships, over 170,000 KM, and 121 scholarship recipients will receive our scholarships. We are extremely pleased to have been able to secure such a large amount of money this year and to help young people on their further path in life," emphasized Čiča.
The entire event was moderated by Ivana Lukić, secretary of HKD Napredak.
During the signing ceremony, the new official logo of the Scholarship Fund was presented, featuring the official logo of HKD Napredak alongside the stylized figures of Napredak's scholarship recipients, Nobel laureates Ivo Andrić and Vladimir Prelog, after whom the Fund was named.
As has been the practice for several years now, the signing of contracts with students will also take place, besides in Sarajevo where the headquarters of HKD Napredak is located, in Mostar and Tuzla on February 24th, and in Zagreb on March 2nd, where Napredak's main branches are located.
The Croatian Cultural Society Napredak was founded in 1902 with the noble aim of assisting students in their education. Its noble mission began with the opening of a boarding school for underprivileged children. Until its prohibition in 1949, Napredak educated and helped educate about 16,000 students, including two Nobel laureates, Ivo Andrić and Vladimir Prelog, as well as painters Gabrijel Jurkić and Ivo Šeremet, Ismet Mujezinović, Karlo Mijić, poet Nikola Šop, academician Ivo Padovan, and many other famous individuals.
Several years after the revival of Napredak, precisely in 1995, the need arose to establish a Scholarship Fund to support worthy youth even in those new times.
Napredak's determination and perseverance in fulfilling its fundamental mission are best evidenced by the fact that since its revival in 1990 to this day, more than 3211 scholarships have been provided through the Central Administration, and more than 1000 scholarships have been distributed through branches. Among Napredak's scholarship recipients today are also well-known and successful artists, scientists, and entrepreneurs.
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