Young Bosnian accepted to Harvard is an inspiration to many in St. Louis

Young Irhad Šehović, a Bosnian from St. Louis, has been accepted to the most famous American university, Harvard. Local television has also made a documentary film about his success, titled "A Man for Harvard", which will be broadcast tonight, reports the BiH news agency Patria (NAP). Šehović is the eldest son of Ismet and Jasmina Šehović, refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who settled in this American city.

American media are enthusiastic about Šehović's success, and the fact that he managed to reach the most prestigious university, which is a dream for much wealthier families, coming from a relatively poor refugee family that fled BiH for their lives.

According to local media, Ismet and Jasmina dedicated their entire lives to this, working hard jobs so that their children could receive a quality education. Irhad repaid them with great effort and results.

- He was the only child who asked his teachers for extra homework at school. This was his life's goal, and that's why we couldn't believe it when he received a positive response. It was the best moment of my life - says Ismet. Irhad himself says that he is aware that there might be thousands of others who are better than him, but he still states that he put in a lot of effort to achieve his goal.

- I don't know how I managed. I tried, I did homework when others didn't, I asked for help at school if I didn't know something - he says.

They assume that the essay Irhad wrote about his return to Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2012 had a significant impact.

- It took me a long time to convince my mother to go to the village from which she was expelled. Soldiers entered one night like a flood and cleansed it of Bosniaks. My mother hid in a basement, but she watched with her own eyes as they killed her family and neighbors in the streets, shooting them in the head - Irhad wrote in his essay sent to Harvard. His younger siblings, Ismar and Ajla, also want to follow in his footsteps, local media report, as relayed by NAP.