"I Applied to Harvard and Princeton, but When I Finish My Studies – I’m Returning to Serbia": Strahinja, 18, Has Won as Many as 160 Awards in a Dozen Scientific

“I would like to study at a prestigious university in the USA and then return to Serbia with the knowledge and experience I have gained,” reveals Strahinja Trivković (18), a final-year student at the Third Belgrade Preparatory School and the recipient of as many as 130 national and 30 international awards in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geography, and more.

In just the past month, Strahinja has won four more world gold medals, and in an interview with Kurir, he shares where his love for learning and knowledge comes from, what motivates him to compete, and his plans for the future.

Independent Research

“Even in nursery and at the very beginning of primary school, I easily mastered the basics – learning letters, numbers, different concepts, operations... Later, as I progressed through school, I realised the curriculum was quite easy for me, so I started competing. At first, these were competitions in mathematics and Serbian language, and then in other subjects as well. As time went on, I saw that I could achieve more and more, and that’s how I eventually reached major international competitions,” says Strahinja.

For as long as he can remember, he has loved learning, reading, and discovering new things.

“I read a lot. School provides us with a certain level of knowledge, but for international competitions, research, and writing scientific papers, independent research is crucial – reading various literature and finding sources outside the school curriculum,” he explains.

Success in Multiple Fields

It is particularly remarkable that these prestigious awards have come from various scientific fields.

However, Strahinja says that excelling in multiple areas is not difficult when one has good work habits and proper organisation:

“The key factors are definitely the work habits I developed from the very beginning of primary school. Secondly, the competitions I participated in were extremely challenging, and to achieve the best results, knowledge from many other fields was necessary. That’s how I learned – I pieced together my knowledge into a bigger picture, and over time, studying became easier and allowed me to excel in all sciences without it taking up too much time.

Parents Gave Him Freedom and Support

Strahinja says that his parents are extremely proud of him but that he is grateful never to have felt pressure from them to win competitions or be so successful.

“I am very thankful for their love and support throughout this journey, especially as I have encountered many people at competitions who have experienced different kinds of pressure from their loved ones. People often ask me whether my parents pushed me to study so much, but it was quite the opposite. They gave me freedom, and when I discovered what interested me, they provided me with maximum support and help,” says Strahinja, who, thanks to his competitions, has travelled the entire planet and now, as he says, has at least a few acquaintances in every country in the world.

The scientific fields that interest him the most are economics, diplomacy, sustainable development, and artificial intelligence. He would like to study these subjects at one of the most prestigious American universities.

“Among other institutions, I have applied to Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, and the University of Pennsylvania. It is, of course, an enormous lottery, as about 60,000 applicants apply to these universities every year, and they accept only three per cent of candidates. Out of that three per cent, only ten per cent are international students. I would love to continue my education there because these universities have the best professors, the best opportunities, and an exceptional network of people from all over the world. However, I have no doubt – after finishing my studies, I will return to Serbia. My goal is to take the best from these institutions and bring that knowledge and experience back to our country,” says this young man, who plans to win many more world-class accolades before going abroad and to ensure that Serbia’s flag flies high on victory podiums around the world.

Our Youth Have a Broad Education

Strahinja says that Serbian youth have an excellent education compared to their peers in other countries.
“Many foreign students lack the broad foundational knowledge that we have and that our secondary and higher education provides. However, on the other hand, numerous countries invest significantly more in education, particularly those in East Asia, such as Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The enormous amounts of money they invest in education pay off – which is why they are experiencing exponential growth.”