Last summer Tarik worked for USAID�s Business Development Program in Sarajevo. As a junior lending associate at USAID, he worked to help review business loans in support of the post-war reconstruction and revitalization. Language skills are critical and Tarik is fluent in English, Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian. In addition, he has an understanding of banking, lending and financial operations in Bosnia.

"My internship with USAID has given me an international perspective on how governments and the private sector can work together toward economic development in war-torn economies, including my homeland of Bosnia," said Sahovic. "Once I achieve my academic goals, I can then turn my attention to my country�s growing economic needs and try to be a player in helping Bosnia�s economy grow and prosper. "

By the time Sahovic was 15, the conflict had begun in Bosnia and many of the other republics within the former Yugoslavia. Like many Bosnians, he and his family saw the damage up close as a grenade struck his parent�s home. After high school, he secured a job as a translator with USAID, helping to secure loans for Bosnian enterprises. He was later promoted to a field associate who monitored loans. By good fortune or happenstance, Sahovic's USAID supervisor turned out to be a native of Wisconsin. He urged Tarik to consider a UW System campus such as UWSP. Four years later, Tarik is about to earn a degree from UWSP in business and economics.

As a senior, Sahovic is concentrating on his classes and waiting for warmer weather to play soccer. He is a member of the International Club with a 3.93 grade point average in business studies.

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