Bosnian lesson is personal for teen

Published online on Monday, Mar. 31, 2008

Eighth-grader Merima Tricic took top honors at Fresno County's recent History Day competition with an exhibit that explored ethnic conflict in Bosnia -- and her own heritage as well.

Merima, a student at Alta Sierra Intermediate School in Clovis, captivated the judges with an unusual display that included family items brought from Bosnia.

"The presentation was stunning but also really compelling. She had clearly thought about the theme," said Melissa Jordine, one of the History Day judges and a history professor at California State University, Fresno.

After placing first in the junior division for individual exhibits, Merima was the Grand Sweepstakes winner among all competitors. Merima and more than 30 other winners from the March 15 county contest will advance to the state History Day competition May 8-10 in Sacramento.

History Day features a variety of competitive categories for students in grades four through 12 that showcase students' research, analytical and creative skills. Students create historical papers, exhibits, performances, multimedia documentaries, Web sites and posters focused on a theme, which this year was "Conflict and Compromise in History."

Merima's coach, Alta Sierra teacher Betsy Clemings, said she encourages students to pursue a topic of personal interest, "something close to them."

For Merima, this was researching conflict and compromise in her family's ancestral home of Bosnia.

"I learned a lot about my family's history," Merima said.

Bosnia is a country of about 4 million people in southern Europe that historically has struggled to maintain its independence.

When war broke out between Bosnians and Serbs in 1992, Merima's father, Sabahudin Tricic, was blinded by a hand grenade. He and Merima's mother, Lejla, immigrated to the United States under the sponsorship of a Madera physician.

Doctors in the United States performed plastic surgery on his eyes, attempting to correct problems from the first operation, which was conducted in Bosnia with only a flashlight for illumination and no running water. Merima was born in Madera in 1994.

After visiting Bosnia last summer with her parents and brother, Merima was inspired to create an exhibit using artifacts from her family's homeland. A coffee serving set symbolizes everyday life, a jug stands for the necessity of carrying water during times of strife and a replica of a helmet represents war.

While most students competing in the exhibit category used three-paneled display boards set on tables, Merima designed hers to look like a narrow section of a Bosnian home. Photographs of Merima's ancestors hung on the back wall.

"It looked like you could step into the room," said Jordine, the judge.

While there is much conflict and compromise in Bosnia's history, Merima focused on a period between 1802 and 1832, when Bosnians struggled under the Ottoman Empire. The central character in her research was a Bosnian war hero known as the Great Dragon of Bosnia.

Merima recited -- in Bosnian -- a poem about the Great Dragon as part of her presentation. She drew upon about 50 sources to complete her research, along with numerous discussions with her parents about their country.

History Day gives students the chance to do their own historical research, and the result, said Clemings, is that "they learn something they can't possibly learn in the classroom."