UNF graduate credits supportive community for success

Elma Bektic's love for math at an early age eventually led her to the University of North Florida, her hometown university.

UNF's connections with local businesses led to three internships and a hands-on case study for Bektic, before she graduates this month with a double major in marketing and finance, and a minor in international business.

What she learned along the way set Bektic up for a lifetime of success.

As the first in her family to graduate from college, she relished the idea of staying in Jacksonville to be close to her family while attending college.

"I enjoyed the challenge of solving math problems with my dad, which brought out the analytical side of me," Bektic said. "I was equally interested in marketing and the creativity behind it, so I decided to fuse them and double major."

A self-professed planner, Bektic took a proactive approach with her college journey. She sought out classes, clubs, activities, internships and events that would not only enhance her college experience but help leverage a promising career.

Projects, internships and study abroad

While Bektic said there are so many proud moments during her years at UNF, a real-world case study for Money Pages, a project she worked on as part of the Honors in Marketing program, stands out most.

"This project gave me great insight into the world of marketing," said Bektic. "I was able to help Money Pages increase user engagement within their mobile app by conducting preliminary interviews, analyzing survey data, and creating visual representations to be presented during our Marketing Advisory Council meeting with executives, CEOS, managers and others from various companies.

Dr. Andrew Thoeni, who teaches the program, recalled Bektic's assertiveness and confidence.

"Elma has a good deal of natural ability in this area and the Honors Marketing Program develops these skills," said Thoeni. "The program is designed to give students both community engagement and experiential learning, so they can chart their own course and work toward it. Elma is a great example of this."

Securing an internship is a crucial step for college students to gain practical experience and to build a professional network. Bektic secured three and said each provided their own set of growth opportunities and valuable insights.

Her first internship was with the Jacksonville Business Journal where she collaborated with teams working on marketing projects from event management to email marketing, working with and meeting influential leaders in Jacksonville along the way.

Other internships included helping to facilitate events and working with community partners during the early days of UNF MedNexus, and a summer internship with Dun & Bradstreet, where she led a team of 10 interns as a project manager as they helped Dun & Bradstreet increase their social media presence utilizing Power BI, a business intelligence tool that helps businesses analyze and visualize data to make informed decisions.

"My involvement in these organizations taught me about leadership and the power of influencing others to accomplish a common goal," said Bektic. "They provided advancement opportunities and community connections."

Through her case project, internships and other marketing activities, Thoeni feels confident Bektic is ready to tackle the real-world after graduation.

"Elma worked on a case project with Money Pages and did an internship with the Jacksonville Business Journal, attended executive forums as well as coordinated many marketing activities," continued Thoeni. "As a result, she has, what I like to think of as, excellent 'interview stories.' These are the answers Honors students can give when an employer asks, 'Tell me about a time when . . ." She has real-world "I solved this problem" answers, giving her experience solving problems but also the confidence that she can."

In addition to her internships, Bektic held part-time jobs throughout college and is currently a student assistant working in UNF's Career Services, where she says working with faculty and staff exposed her to varied opportunities to build more relationships and connection with industry partners.

"By working on campus, I've met more people, learned more about UNF programs, clubs and events, and taken advantage of what Career Services has to offer," Bektic said.

She said Career Services help students in many ways, including improving their resumes or strategizing job or internship searches.

Staying true to her commitment to take advantage of every opportunity that came her way, Bektic participated in networking opportunities through multiple career fairs, attended speaker forums, held leadership positions in several student clubs, and participated in a study abroad in France during a summer semester in 2022 with the Coggin College of Business.

"There is so much to experience when you open yourself up to new opportunities and cultures," Bektic said. "The study abroad experience led me to minor in International Business."

Finishing one adventure and embarking on the next

As her educational tenure at UNF nears, Bektic said she gets emotional when she thinks about the sacrifices her parents made to ensure she got a college education.

"We all want someone to be proud of us and I've always wanted to make my parents proud," said Bektic. "When I walk across the stage, look out into the sea of people and see my parents, I know they will be very proud - it's a very humbling experience."

She said she is thankful for all the professors, advisors and mentors who have guided her along the way and who want to help every UNF student succeed.

"College is what you make of it," Bektic said. "And taking initiative is the first step. There are so many opportunities and wonderful people ready to help you succeed."

What's next? Bektic says her options are endless, whether it's continuing her education or securing a fulltime position. She's ready to grab the possibilities as they come.

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