Background
I’m Erblina Bunjaku, and I grew up in a small village near Pristina, Kosovo. I was the kid who took the bus from the countryside to the city every day to attend a school with a very long, very specific name: the Specialized Mathematical Gymnasium. It was a school built to bridge the gap for students who wanted to dive into advanced math early, but coming from a village middle school, the transition was a shock.
In my old school, science was just four walls and a blackboard. We didn't have labs or tech. Biology and chemistry were things you memorized from a book, totally abstract and distant concepts. I didn’t have experience with private tutors or extra courses as my classmates did. I just had the public school knowledge I’d gathered in an old, crumbling building. But I had a hidden desire to see the world. I’d read stories of students making it to the top universities, and I wanted that to be my story too.
Finding the Path to Edinburgh
When it came time to apply for university, I looked at everything. I applied to big names in the US like Michigan State and Arizona State, and even the American University of Paris. But Edinburgh was always the one in my heart. Part of it was practical. It’s an English-speaking country and much closer to home than the US. But mostly, it was about the math. In Kosovo, the math department lacked the advanced, real-world applications I wanted to pursue.
I remember sitting in my living room in mid-May. It was late in the application season, so when I saw an email notification saying there was an update in the system, I didn't even want to open it. I figured they were just clearing out the rejections. I waited three hours, just staring at my phone, until I finally couldn't take it anymore. I logged in and saw the word: “Congratulations”. It didn't feel real until the actual School of Maths emailed me later that day.
A Promise Kept
My passion for math really started with my primary school teacher. He was the first person who truly made me understand the beauty of numbers. Sadly, when I was in sixth grade, he was diagnosed with cancer. He passed away toward the end of my seventh grade.
Before he died, he asked me what I wanted to do with my life. I told him I wanted to go to a mathematical high school, even though no one from our village school had ever gone there. He looked at me and said that I would make it.
The day I got my offer from the University of Edinburgh was May 18th. That is the exact anniversary of the day he passed away. It felt like a sign. That day used to be purely sad for me, but now it’s a day of celebration.
The Reality of the Climb
High school was a struggle at first. I was surrounded by "Math Olympians" who had been taking extra courses for years. In my first semester, I felt so behind that I almost quit joining a regular science school. Everything changed when my combinatorics teacher gave back our grades. I was the only person in the class to get a perfect five out of five.
That was the moment I realized that hard work could actually close the gap between the kids and me with more resources. I eventually found my rhythm, getting top marks in everything from Real Analysis to Algebra. I wasn't the best at time management back then. I actually skipped the SAT because I was so overwhelmed with deadlines, but I focused on what I could control. I pulled off an 8.0 on the IELTS, a 102 on the TOEFL, and kept my GPA a perfect 5/5.
Making an Impact Beyond the Classroom
I’ve always felt that knowledge is wasted if you don't use it to help your community. One of my favorite projects in high school involved winning a grant from UNICEF to start a science club. I went back to my old middle school to run a STEM week for the girls there. I wanted them to see that coming from a village doesn't mean your world has to stay small.
I also got into the startup world early. I co-founded a project called Greenergy at the Innovation Center of Kosovo. Even though I was under 18 and couldn't legally register a business yet, they mentored us on how to scale our ideas. We eventually won a 20k euro grant to keep growing it.
I also did some volunteering as an English translator as well as doing karate up until I went to college, where sadly I did not have the time to continue.
I’ve learned a lot about leadership through these projects. I used to struggle with working with friends, but I’ve learned how to switch into professional mode when the work starts. At the same time, I try to keep my empathy. If a teammate doesn't show up, I don't just get angry. I remember that everyone has bad days. That kindness keeps a team together much longer than strict rules ever could.
Looking Back and Moving Forward
Living in Edinburgh is expensive, and it hasn't always been easy. I had to work a part-time job during my first year to help cover costs because inflation happened right as I moved. My family has been my rock, supporting me even when the financial mountain felt too high to climb.
My goal now is to take everything I’m learning here and bring it back home. I want to help build an ecosystem in Kosovo where education and technology are sustainable.
This drive probably comes from watching my parents. My mom graduated with a degree in biology and eventually started her own business called 99 Lule, which means 99 flowers. She didn't just build a company for herself or our family. She used her expertise to invest in other women in rural areas.
She gave them the chance to work in agriculture on their own properties so they could sell their products and support themselves. Seeing her use her degree to lift up an entire community changed how I view my own education. It taught me that my skills aren't just for my resume. They are tools meant to empower people who haven't had the same opportunities I have.
This philosophy is exactly why I founded EngineeringHerFuture in 2023, where I am the CEO and founder of the organization, and it has quickly become the central heartbeat of my work. We aren't just talking about technology in theory. We are on the ground, working with volunteers and ambassadors to reach girls in every rural corner of Kosovo.
We want to show these young women that there is a place for them in the world of innovation. It is about mentorship and opening doors that used to be locked. One of our biggest moments was taking teams to TEKNOFEST, which is a large aerospace and technology festival hosted in Turkey.
Last year was a massive milestone for us. We helped mentor the first-ever finalist team from Kosovo to compete at the festival. They didn't just show up to participate, either. They ended up winning the Best Presentation Award. Watching them stand on that stage made everything we do at EngineeringHerFuture feel real.
When you grow up in Kosovo, you feel a certain tie to the land that is hard to explain to people who have never lived there. That connection is what keeps me going. I want to take every bit of practical experience I am gathering abroad and use it to lead my organization toward even bigger goals. We are just getting started, and I can't wait to see what the next generation of Kosovan women will build.
