“Vid Micevic. Where to start? Vid might very well have the most amazing life story I’ve ever heard. After fleeing civil war in their home country of Bosnia, Vid’s amazing parents, with $5000 and two suitcases, purchased the first plane tickets they could before the airport closed. When they received their tickets the destination was South Africa. Two years later, Vid was born, though it was not easy. He had birth complications with his stomach that left him with a protrusion above his belly button that still exists today as a relic of the past. His father worked hard and became a manager of a local pizza place in Johannesburg, but was robbed at gunpoint multiple times (the city’s currently rated one of the most dangerous in the world). He spent five years living in South Africa, witnessing the reality of apartheid, but also the beauty of progress brought about by his greatest hero, Nelson Mandela. Ultimately, a family friend applied the Micevic family for the visa lottery to come to the United States. With a forged signature, and without any warning the family name was luckily drawn out of tens of thousands of families to head to the United States.
Fast forward many years, Vid’s become one of the most impressive seniors at Arizona State University. He knows five different languages, is an engineering graduate, and a terrific leader. As a residential educator, Vid helped define the role for a brand new on-campus greek housing initiative. He’s a Pat Tillman scholar, offering mentorship to up and coming student leaders. He was the student director of the Changemaker Central at ASU which helped the university win the award of Most Innovative College University in the U.S. Vid’s also worked with LG Electronics to prototype a grab n’ go water dispersement system that seamlessly integrates into the lives of the users. The product is primarily used to target hispanic American markets to reduce water bottle usage improving the environment and saving people time refilling water bottles.
He’s a THREE time national scholarship winner. Sophomore year, Vid won the prestigious Boren Scholarship, which provides students with the resources and encouragement they need to acquire skills and experiences in areas of the world critical to the future security of the United States. He then used the winnings to fund his trip to Croatia, where he interned for the United Nations as a sustainability consultant and translator to improve their rural agricultural food system. His junior year, Vid won the Udall Scholarship for his accomplishments in leadership and public service for the environment. That following summer, he interned as a consultant in Johannesburg to co-create a personal development framework to address the 40 percent of recent college graduate unemployment rate in South Africa. Lastly, as a senior, Vid won the esteemed Fulbright Scholarship, enabling him to teach English and skills to youth in Thailand. But before he leaves, Vid’s traveling for another venture he founded, 33 Buckets, where he’ll be doing sustainable water consulting for cities and villages across Peru and the Dominican Republic. There he will set up water micro-franchise businesses to set up self-sustaining systems that empower the community towards better health. Then he’ll return to Washington, D.C. to intern for Ashoka, a highly competitive social innovation non-profit motivated to empower social entrepreneurs around the globe.
Vid’s a warm, inspiring friend, and certainly deserves to be a part of Lambda Chi Alpha’s 30 for 30 award.”
by Joshua Sabol.
1. Lambda Chi Alpha experience attributed to success in your field or in other accomplishments?
Let me say this once. Lambda Chi Alpha – Zeta Psi at Arizona State University has changed my whole life trajectory. When joining Lambda Chi Alpha in the Fall of 2012 as freshman, I joined because I couldn’t find the right group of friends since I was an out of state student. I decided to rush to check it out. I was blown away when I found out about Lambda Chi Alpha. First the brothers were so kind and friendly. They were themselves. Even more so, they were dedicated to making this world a better place, and were so ambitious to change the world around them.
When I joined, I felt like one little pawn amongst giants. Everyone was so hardworking and motivated. What I realized is when you surround yourself by motivated individuals, you become motivated yourself. Lambda Chi Alpha kicked me in the butt, and made me wake up to all the possibilities this world has to offer. Why wait? Go ahead, and don’t let anyone stop you from reaching your dreams. It’s safe to say that it was Lambda Chi Alpha that brought me where I am today.
2. What do you hope to accomplish in your next 30 years, professionally, personally or fraternally?
Well first we would have to define what success is, right? To me success means quality of life. Quality of life is defined as how happy you are in any given moment.
What I really hope to accomplish in the next 30 years is to master the art of breathing and living in the beautiful present moment that surrounds us each day. I just want to be happy. The key to happiness is the simple act of breathing. It makes us human. We all must breathe to survive. It gives us all life. Breathing is the only thing we can control as human beings. Breathing makes me happy because it grounds me in the moment. Happiness is closing your eyes and opening heart to the joy that surrounds us each and every day.
I cannot say I have thought that far. 30 years. I haven’t thought passed next year. What’s the point? We can’t control the future because it’s so out of our hands. My naive self would say in the next 30 years I hope to have won the Noble Peace Prize for work in empowering individuals throughout the world through social entrepreneurship. That has always been some sort of childhood dream of mine, but the more I grow up, the more I realize there are just so many incredible people working to bring humanity forward, and I hope these individuals receive it over me.
There is one thing that I want to be remembered though it is the feeling of warmth and kindness. I hope, whatever happens to me, that others remember me for the warmth that they felt in their heart. Now more than ever, we need to share the love. Everyone needs to having this feeling in their heart. It’s what keep us going as humans. Know that you are loved.
Throughout the summer Lambda Chi Alpha and the C&C staff will post a new inductee to our 2016 30 Under 30 every Friday and Monday, check back daily for more details on everything Lambda Chi Alpha.
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