About us

Our organization is focused on providing support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds in Bosnia. Through an open application process, we gather documents to identify students in need, and our committee thoroughly reviews applications, selecting the students that would benefit the most from our programs. Our dedicated volunteers ensure that every scholarship recipient gets the type of support that is needed to succeed. Our goal is to help these students overcome the challenges they face, so they can focus on their studies and build a better future for themselves and their families.

To achieve our goal, we provide multifaceted educational support through room and board, mentoring, coaching, training, providing additional education and field trips to ensure each scholar has the tools necessary to succeed.

Our Work

Student scholarships for room, board, training, field trips or all

Mentoring and coaching

Vocational training

Professional training

Workshops, presentations, lectures

Educational Field trips

How We Teach

Classroom

Experienced Instructors
Convenient Locations
Focused on hands-on learning based on real-world scenarios

Online + Classroom

Combines the flexibility of online training with instructor-led skills check

Convenient Locations

Focused on hands-on learning based on real-world scenarios

Online

Certified self-paced interactive courses

Frequent start dates

Course access after completion

Who we are

Mission

The organization’s mission is to provide high-quality instructional and supportive programs to meet the educational needs of students in order to support development of qualified and well-rounded new generation of professionals and future well-integrated, productive engaged citizens. Training programs oriented to the development of professional skills in academic and vocational spheres has been established to encourage the intellectual growth of all participants, contribute to their personal development and improve their potential for career advancement.

Vision

The vision of our organization is to be the preferred supportive organization devoted to the service of Bosnia and Herzegovina students, encouraging growth and development in all segments of population, especially within economically disadvantaged communities.

Institutional goals

Institutional objectives: Direct Link to Bosnia fulfills its mission by actively achieving the following institutional goals:

Provide and promote a stable, self-sustaining climate in which ethical behavior and community service are valued and where participants are challenged to stand out and develop their talent.
Recruit promising students and support them in their academic journey, in order to promote high university graduation and successful career placement.
Develop and provide effective career-oriented training programs consisting of technical curricula that focus on career advancement skills, as well as leadership skills.
Develop and provide general education programs designed to enhance the analytical, oral and written communication skills of participants, as well as stimulate their intellectual growth and personal development.
Periodically evaluate, revise and improve key programs and processes to ensure continued progress towards achieving institutional objectives.

Leadership

Lejla Tričić

EdD in Organizational Change and Leadership, U. of Southern California
MFA, Creative Writing, CSU Fresno
MA in Literature, CSU Fresno
Master’s Certificate, Adv. Study in Composition, CSU Fresno
BA in English, CSU Fresno
AS in Architecture, Fresno City College
Teaching Online Certified, Quality Matters

Dr. Lejla Tricic is a three-time Fresno State alumna and prestigeous University of Southern California alumna with a doctoral degree in education in Organizational Change and Leadership. She was nominated for a Dean's Medal, the University's highest distinction within a college, as both an undergraduate and as a graduate. Besides winning the Dean's Medal as a graduate, she has also won a University Medal, a campus-wide distinction of a highest achieving student in all the university's colleges.
As an experienced e-learning fellow, lecturer, entrepreneur, consultant, writer and mentor, Dr. Tricic designed many college courses and has served as a SME for numerous colleges. During the pandemic and a swift shoft to online learning, Dr. Tricic served the academic community as a K-12 teacher mentor for entire districts, a Peer Reviewer for QM organization, and a faculty trainer for online course delivery in the whole CSU system.
She is a caring mentor and facilitator to faculty and students, and an international volunteer instructor with a proven history of working successfully with culturally and ability diverse groups and imparting intercultural lessons to students, peers, and administrators. Her special passion is work with disabled students and she uses her extensive personal experience to advance accessibility, help with educational goals and assure equal access for all students. She also uses her experience as a survivor of Bosnian war to help students and faculty overcome trauma through creativity and writing. She has been teaching FYW composition, creative writing, film and literature since 2003 at numerous institutions in online, hybrid and Face-to-Face settings. Her work has been recognized with numerous awards and research grants.

Sabahudin Tričić

MS in Computer Science, CSU Fresno
BS in Computer Science, CSU Fresno

Sabahudin Tricic has successfully been active both as a practicing professional and an academic. After working as a software programmer in the private sector on large commercial projects, Mr. Tricic founded his own company in 2006, serving as a developer, senior engineer, and CEO, once the company became international, building a solid reputation for delivering high-quality, cost-efficient technological solutions and tools driving business development and the establishment of key partnerships with small, medium and large organizations. In any setting, Mr. Tricic has been dedicated to bringing innovative ideas to collaborative projects, inspiring cooperation and growth, and motivating employees and coworkers to reach well-selected goals and organizational outcomes.

Mr. Tricic has also shared IT skills and experience as a Foundation Faculty member at the University of Kansas, Grantham, where he has been teaching database design, programming in different languages, software engineering and capstone classes. For over two decades, he has also been teaching at many universities, including Colorado Technical University, Park University, and South New Hampshire University. Mr. Tricic has also served as a highly trained curriculum developer skilled in modern teaching theories and methodologies, employing a range of suitable strategies to foster student learning, creating engaging content, curriculum, courses, and lesson plans based on the dynamic and interactive content, varied assessment strategies, and integrated real-world scenarios that foster student-centered learning.

Mr. Tricic is a dedicated educator committed to improving the lives and opportunities of his students, and a caring mentor to faculty and students, helping them to achieve their educational and career goals.

History of Direct Link to Bosnia

Direct Link to Bosnia was registered in 1996 as a non-profit charity under IRS code section 501(c)(3) organization and California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation focused on charitable work in Bosnia. Initially, it was focused on providing assistance to war survivors, including food, clothes, medical supplies and school supplies to elementary school children. Between 1996 and 1998, Direct Link provided tens of tons of food and supplies to citizens of Sarajevo.

When the immediate impact of war lessened, Direct Link continued seeking avenues to help Bosnian citizenry. Identifying disabled citizens as one of the vulnerable groups, Direct Link to Bosnia partnered with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to provide educational services and training to blind. To this degree, Direct Link provided professional training, including language classes, IT and programing courses through the Association of Blind, Sarajevo between 2000 and 2006.

As the needs changed, the focus of the organization shifted to education of war-impacted youth and their rehabilitation and trauma management. From 2010, our staff has organized educational field trips for talented youth, integrating them to the United States sport community, art community and exposing them to the educational systems in the USA in cooperation with Fresno State University, California.

In 2018, Direct Link partnered with Women Victims of War leadership, organizing workshops and seminars about the impact of trauma in cooperation with educational and cultural institutions across the United States. In Bosnia, Direct Link provided support to the victims in creating a digital platform to share their experiences and add their voice to further understanding the impact of violence over women as a weapon of war.

In 2020, Direct Link to Bosnia established partnership with TLS Learning Group to develop pilot educational and training programs intended to alleviate economic suffering of low-income youth through providing avenues to employment in the growing IT industry. In 2024, Direct Link intends to expand this program by creating a more comprehensive approach in terms of providing stipends for room and board, mentoring and coaching by experts in the field, and expanding the number of workshops, lectures and presentations offered to young professionals entering or changing career paths in the IT industry.