ŽELJKA PILJAGIĆ - FROM STUDENT OF THE GENERATION TO ASSISTANT PROFESSOR

BANJA LUKA, MAY 26 /SRNA/ - Željka Piljagić, the student of the generation at the Faculty of Security Sciences in Banja Luka, where she also works as an assistant professor, revealed for SRNA that she wants to continue her scientific research and left a message to other students that persistence is the key.

This Banja Luka student completed her studies with an average of 9.48, and her knowledge was crowned with the "Golden Badge".

"The `Golden Badge` is more than a formal recognition for me, it is a symbol of great sacrifice and effort that ultimately paid off. It is what motivated me to enroll in the second cycle of studies in security and criminology, to give my best there as well," said Piljagić.

In addition to dedicating herself to further education, Željka rose from student to assistant professor at the same faculty.

"I am an assistant in courses at the Department of Security Sciences, and some of the subjects are: intelligence and security activities and services, crisis management, security systems, information security, terrorism. Before I was selected for the position of assistant, I was a student demonstrator in the same courses, so the transition was gradual," explains Piljagić, adding that her goal is to complete her master's studies this year and later enroll in a doctorate.

Željka's passion for security topics is not accidental. Uniforms, criminalistics, intelligence services, system, law and order are her field, she says.

"What I particularly liked was that the faculty is not based only on theoretical, but also includes practical teaching - martial arts, laboratory work, handling weapons. That combination of theory and practice attracted me," she said.

Although the Faculty of Safety Sciences is often seen as a male field, Željka breaks that stereotype - with her results.

She tells future students that it is not always easy, but that perseverance is the key.

Piljagić notes that the biggest challenge is maintaining continuity in learning, especially in periods when motivation decreases.

"The moment that remains etched in my memory the most is when I failed an exam for the first time. For me, it was the end of the world at that moment, perhaps because it happened for the first time only in my third year of the faculty.

"I would be lying if I said that it didn't affect me, but that's also an integral part of studying. That's when I realized how important it is to know how to accept failure, learn from it, get back together and prepare even better for the next time," emphasizes Piljagić, who supports students every day.

She says that she tries to go through all the problems they encounter during their studies with them, with one goal - not to give up.

Piljagić was also very active outside of the classroom during her studies. She was a member of the faculty's Student Organization for four years, and in her fourth year she was appointed President of the Assembly of that organization.