Not the flouncy, flouncy, but glamorous nonetheless…

File this one under “your peers doing productive things while you were re-watching The (whole) West Wing on Netflix with your cat over break.” Econ major and Italian minor Ajla Karajko, BC ’14, a One Young World Ambassador, is one of seven young women eligible to win Glamour magazine’s Top Ten College Women Readers’ Choice Contest for her (successful) efforts to mentor girls in her native Bosnia and encourage interfaith dialogue between Muslims and Christians in her country.

So while you’re looking for karma to counteract sleeping through your first 10:10, read Glamour’s blurb below and vote for Ajla to win $1,500 toward her efforts in Bosnia here. Voting ends January 28th.

Ajla grew up in war-torn Bosnia, where her local high school had a fence dividing the classrooms for Christian and Muslim students. Now a One Young World ambassador, member of Barnard’s student government, and spring intern at the United Nations, she focuses on promoting interfaith dialogue and female empowerment globally. Back in Bosnia, she used a $10,000 grant to build a school playground were Muslim and Christian students could socialize together. She also founded Bead the Difference,  a summer art and mentorship program for Bosnian girls. “My lost childhood is a big reason why improving gender and religious equality and interfaith dialogue is important to me,” she said. “Born and raised during a war excused by religious differences, I’ve always felt I’ve had to help prevent other kids from experiencing what I did.”

Making a Difference via Barnard Media Relations