35 LAW GRADUATES AND MASTERS OF LAW PRESENTED WITH DIPLOMAS

PALE, OCTOBER 31 /SRNA/ - At a formal ceremony marking the Day and patron saint's day of the Faculty of Law at the University of Istočno Sarajevo, 29 law graduates and six holders of master's degrees in law received their diplomas in Pale today.

The top-performing law graduate, with a GPA of 9.57 and recipient of the "Professor Bogdan Loza" award, is Kristina Šarac. She said that during her studies, she had taken part in various academic and extracurricular activities, that she was currently completing her legal traineeship at a law firm, and that she had enrolled in a master's program.

"Studies were challenging at first because, as freshmen, we were faced with unfamiliar legal terms and laws. But as time went on, studying taught us how important hard work, order and discipline are, so everything became much easier," Šarac said, adding that students at this higher education institution had the opportunity to gain practical experience at judicial institutions as well as other institutions.

Thanking the professors for their support throughout the students' time at the Faculty of Law, she urged freshmen not to give up and encouraged high school graduates to enroll at the institution, saying that it had a high-quality curriculum and was also an interesting place to study.

Dean of the Faculty of Law Goran Marković said that last year the higher education institution had returned to 2016 levels in terms of student enrollment, adding that, together with the Faculty of Medicine, it ranked among the top faculties at the University of Istočno Sarajevo.

"This is very important because that was the year when a certain crisis emerged, not only in our country but throughout the region, in terms of student enrollment. Last year, we therefore had 130 percent more students enrolling than three years earlier," Marković said.

According to him, the Faculty of Law managed not only to stabilize enrollment numbers but also to increase them year after year.

"The results were somewhat weaker this year, but if we look at a somewhat longer period, we are extremely satisfied with the results," Marković said, adding that the Faculty of Law at the University of Istočno Sarajevo had ranked second or third among the university's faculties in terms of student enrollment in recent years.

According to him, the new study system that has been introduced, along with a new approach to students, has significantly helped change the way young people and their parents perceive the Faculty of Law.

Director of the European Public Law Organization, based in Athens, Spyridon Flogaitis, said that it was an honor and a pleasure for him to attend today's celebration marking the 80th anniversary of the Faculty of Law at the University of Istočno Sarajevo.

"I am here to celebrate with the Faculty all the wonderful things we have achieved together for the benefit of this institution and its students," Flogaitis said, expressing his wish that the higher education institution would celebrate another 80 successful years.

Those attending had the opportunity to watch a documentary about the history of the Faculty of Law. A monograph, published bilingually in Serbian and English, was also presented.

Today's ceremony, which included the presentation of diplomas to law graduates and master's degree recipients, as well as the awarding of plaques and certificates to distinguished individuals, was attended by guests from Greece, representatives of universities in Istočno Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Mostar and Serbia, officials from the City of Istočno Sarajevo, and guests from public and political life.