Mujkanovic ‘truly helps everyone in any way he possibly can’

Bonny Patel

Letter to the Editor:

I’ve known Student Government Association presidential candidate Kenan Mujkanovic since I was in high school. When I first met him, I had no idea the caliber this individual that stood before me possessed. From the very first moment we spoke, I knew right then and there he was a man of vision.

Just from conversing with him, I knew he would go on to do many great things. I still remember when he looked at me and said that he wanted to do something great and to be remembered as a man of the people. I was not very surprised when he started Young Visionaries Foundation and self-published his own book. He has put Bowling Green on the map and has established a global outreach in less than two years.

From helping the homeless and the needy, to distributing hundreds of books to children in poverty despite being young himself, he has shown immense value and character and continues to do so. We often hear of stories of how people overcome the odds and go on to do great things. Kenan has done just that. Never faltering in making the decision to help others is what Kenan shows great aptitude for.

Kenan has been a personal helping hand for me and he has proven to be a great inspiration in my life. Not only is he a friend, but he is a great mentor as well. Kenan is a person that genuinely cares and shows maturity when others face any type of issue. He truly helps everyone in any way he possibly can. He lifts people up when they are down. He strengthens their resolve to achieve more. He shows people that instead of “looking for the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s inside of us.”

This very characteristic is why he is able to produce such exceptional change. He has an eye for true talent. Building people up, encouraging them and believing in them is perhaps one of his biggest monumental skill sets. Kenan once told me, “True change is not an effort of one person, but the efforts of multiple people.” His ability to exalt everyone’s best is what makes him the quintessential leader SGA needs. He is not just a man of words, but a man of action and heart.

He has the experience and the will to prove it. Since being 16, he has committed himself to one task, and that is to the betterment of his community and the place we all call home, Bowling Green. “Leaders tell, but never teach until they practice what they preach.” When showing me the path to changing others’ lives this was a quote Kenan reiterated. Now, I see the importance of it.

At 16, he built his foundation from the ground up, even when he had no money or means to do what he did. He would manage to pull together money and supplies for various projects. No matter how little he had at the time, he made the most of it. Kenan has been doing that from a very young age and that is what enabled him to have the strength to make it this far. He knew it was not about the scale of his work, but the message behind it and the purpose.

He knew if he spread positivity to the lives of everyone, he would make an everlasting mark. Soon, because of what he did, people took notice and joined the mission to better others’ lives through community service and adding value to others in any way possible. In the most fundamental aspect, this is what great leaders do. They lead by example, and I believe Kenan is the example WKU SGA needs. I believe we need someone who truly understands the needs of our community and our students, especially minority students, and that person is none other than Kenan Mujkanovic.

He is the only candidate that is a Bowling Green native, and the only ethnic minority running. Despite coming from such a rough background of poverty and struggling as a first generation American, Kenan has never given up on making an impact on people’s lives and doing many great things. He has devoted his life to our city and our community. He is no doubt one of the most prominent figures our city ever had.

He has legitimately done more than any of the other candidates and he has impacted thousands of lives throughout the world in the process of doing so. He is a man of passion, influence, trustworthiness, efficiency, value and consistency. He is a prime example of a leader. Kenan is by far one of the most outstanding individuals I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and he will absolutely make a great SGA president. I honestly believe that.

Letter submitted by Bonny Patel.