Lidija Lazarevic’s career in the international education industry began in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2008, when she started working for the government in the Agency of Higher Education and Quality Assurance.
During her five years there Lidija was involved in many projects commissioned by the European Union that gave her valuable insight into the world of higher education, including all the relevant laws, standards, and protocols.
“This valuable exposure shaped my desire to embrace the realm of international education, which eventually led me to make the decision to move back to Canada to further pursue and expand my existing knowledge.” Lidija said.
While Vancouver in Canada is Lidija’s home, she has also spent many years living in Europe, including in Germany and Greece, as well as in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Lidija is fluent in English and Serbian, however, her time spent in Europe means that she can understand German and even a little bit of Greek!
Lidija’s educational background is extensive and diverse and combines her many varied passions. Starting with a Diploma in Marketing Management, Lidija then went on to complete a degree in business and economics.
“My education led me on a path of self-discovery, which is something I consider imperative for each individual’s prosperity and wellbeing. I believe the path to self-discovery is the longest path in life, and education is the best tried and true mechanism we can use that helps to lead us down that road.”
In addition to her time spent working in Europe, Lidija’s entrepreneurial spirit inspired her to own and manage several fashion-related businesses. To embrace her inherent creative spark Lidija decided to obtain an additional diploma in hairstyling in her spare time.
“What started off as a desire to learn the art of hair, led me on a path that allowed me to realise that we can all become masters of many skills, as long as we are driven by a passion to learn and succeed.”
“As a student I learnt to nurture my curiosity and combine it with hard-work and determination, and as a professional working in the field of education, I have learnt to utilise and leverage all of the tools available to me (both learned and self-taught) in order to guarantee future success.”
“Education is the single most important investment we can make in ourselves. The pathway to success is paved by the promise of education, learning, curiosity, and hard work.”
Lidija has been settling into her new role for one and a half months now, and her current focus is on learning and growing into this role so that she can be the best for her team and for her students.
“One memorable lesson I learnt during my time as a student is the art of living on a student budget and remaining patient. This is one lesson that I am sure many of our students at the Acsenda School of Management will be learning during their studies, and to them I say: Rome was not built in a day and neither are you!”
