After taking nearly every Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) class at Highland, Donka Rizvanovic as rightfully won the award for Highlands Sterling Scholar in FACS. This broad field of study encompasses a variety of topics related to the home and family, such as personal development, family relationships, consumer education, nutrition, food preparation, clothing and textiles, interior design, and child development. Rizvanovic has excelled in all her FACS classes, and she is a valuable asset to the Highland FACS program. Even outside of school Rizvanovic has shown to be a successful leader whether it be helping raise her niece and nephew or participating at a national level with the Family Career and Community Leaders of America, (FCCLA).

Donka has been very invested and proactive with her own family. Since she was six years old, she has acted as an aunt for her little nieces and nephews.

“It really helped me have a greater understanding of – early childhood development and just the values of raising a family together,” Rizvanovic said.

Rizvanovic was introduced at an early age to FACS by her older sister, Cvetanka, who has been an inspiring and constant role model. Her sister also won the FACS Sterling Scholar award for Highland in 2020.

“She’s done a lot for me, and I really look up to her,” Rizvanovic said. “She’s helped raise me and teach me a lot of like child development theories and things like that.”

Rizvanovic, and her sister, were born and raised in Salt Lake City, however, her mother is a Bosnian refugee and speaks no English. Though the family has had significant help from social workers, for most of her life, Donka has been helping interpret and translating from Bosnian to English for her mother.

Having this opportunity at an early age to help her family adjust to a new American society and culture it has allowed Rizvanovic to be heavily invested with service and FACS related topics.

“Interpreting for my mom helped me have a better understanding of the importance of having more diversity and also understanding the different and diverse models of families,” Rizvanovic said. “It’s important to almost have a more expansive definition of what constitutes family and really trying to honor that.”

The FACS Sterling Scholar is known to be one of the most competitive subjects here at Highland, but Rizvanovic has put in the work. She had submitted a project for the FCCLA which involved integrating environmental education on a preschool level. Her project has made it to Nationals, which is where she competes with students from other states. Her success in this project helped fueled her decision to apply.

“I think that my success in that project I really motivated me to like transfer my efforts you know with earning the title at highland,” Rizvanovic said.

Rizvanovic is definitely deserving of winning the Sterling Scholar in Family and Consumer Sciences at Highland. She has strengthened her family life and put in the work to earn it. She has great determination and will go on to do great things in the world.