Kenan Mujkanovic, 19, is a freshman at Western Kentucky University. He is founder of Young Visionaries Foundation and has been recognized with various service awards including the National Caring Award. He was inducted into the Caring Hall of Fame in the nation’s capital and recently published “Voices Of Bowling Green,” an inspirational book that encourages people of all ages to pursue their dreams despite the struggles they may endure.

Tell us about your background.

My parents were Bosnian refugees from the Bosnian genocide that occurred in the 1990s. Most of the Bosnian population here today came here to seek refuge in the land of opportunity. I was born and raised in Bowling Green, which I am very thankful for. Since my parents came here with nothing, I spent most of my childhood in poverty. We constantly switched apartments because it was not a healthy environment for me to be in, and my parents always looked out for me and made sure I was safe. My parents both worked two jobs at the time just to make sure I had a similar lifestyle that other kids had. It was difficult for me as a kid to understand everything that was going on around me, and my parents did not know much of the English language themselves to be able to help me in school. So, I had to learn pretty much on my own through the observance of other people and reading books.

What prompted you to found Young Visionaries and what does the foundation do?

I founded Young Visionaries Foundation when I was 16 years old and a sophomore at South Warren High School. Reminiscing on my past, remembering what the Bosnian people endured losing everything they had and coming here with nothing and broken hearts, remembering all of my struggles and my journey, I did not want any kid to go through what I have. So, I created the foundation as a support system for our youth to be connected through giving back to the community, pursuing an education and most of all, to inspire them to chase their dreams and make them realities. When the Bosnian people came to Bowling Green, they did not have much. The loving citizens of this city tried to understand their struggles and accepted them with open arms by providing them with jobs and a place to stay where they could feel at home. Me assisting the families in need here serves as a token of appreciation for the city and its citizens for everything they’ve done for my people when they needed it the most. The foundation has assisted almost 1,000 families to this day and has provided more than 10,000 pounds of food. In addition, we have provided more than 2,000 meals for the homeless in over four different cities. With the youth in our community, I have inspired them in every aspect possible and gave many of them hope that you can be somebody. I served as a mentor for many and still continue to do so, and I have given more than 250 books to our youth encouraging them to read and expand their knowledge. The foundation really does not focus on a specific issue or need. We focus on all aspects of life and aim to inspire people to be visionaries.

What about the foundation has been most inspiring or poignant for you?

Honestly, the most inspiring thing for me is having people of all ages reach out to me and tell me that I have changed their life or I have inspired them to go after their dreams. I realized at a young age that my purpose in life was to inspire people. Every day I wake up, I thank God for giving another opportunity to inspire and change someone’s life for the better. Coming from a small city, our kids here have high aspirations and dreams. What has been so poignant for me is seeing their dreams shot down by the ones closest to them because they were told that they were crazy, aiming too high or because they think it’s impossible to achieve your dreams in a small city. When I became the first young adult from Bowling Green to receive the National Caring Award and seventh Kentuckian in history to do so, they were shocked. I feel like accomplishing all that I have in two years, gave them hope and showed them that it is possible here.

What is your book about and how has it been received? Where can you get it?

“Voices of Bowling Green” is a book that I wrote in hopes of inspiring people of all ages across the globe to chase your dreams no matter the struggles and obstacles you may have. I spent six months writing it and so many sleepless night just to have it completed. I want to thank a lot of people for believing in me and keeping up to date with me on this great project. I want to thank Zakriya Ahmed, Muamer Razic, Miranda Pederson and our Bowling Green city officials for their participation. In the book, there are a collection of stories from our city’s youth that are very powerful with a strong inspiring message from each one. I provide two sections of inspiration from myself to the readers of the book hoping they would be inspired and take action on their dreams. Many of us just need that spark of motivation to get us up on our feet and to keep us moving forward. I wrote this book as a dedication and gift for the city of Bowling Green. I even have it written on one of the first pages, “For my city, Bowling Green, Kentucky.” In the book, you will also find a section where our city officials share their stories and provide their wisdom for the readers. You can find the book available on Amazon, Kindle, Barnes & Noble and other retail bookstores.

What was the most difficult thing about writing the book?

The most difficult part of the book would be figuring out the best way to condense all of the ideas and messages into one flowing piece of work. At first, when I was writing the beginning, I kept writing and expanding on ideas and often times what would happen, another idea would be introduced in my head so I discontinued the current idea to talk about the next in fear of forgetting it. So, I had to go back through and polish it to make it flow smoothly so the reader could feel motivated through each idea. I had Zakriya Ahmed, the editor and a close friend of mine, assist me with this project making sure everything sounded right and that we had little to no errors. Honestly, the whole process has taught me a lot and I am so grateful to be able to do this for the city of Bowling Green. I am blessed to have grown up in this city. The journey of working on this project and releasing it has been long and hard, but it is finally here. I hope everyone enjoys reading this book and learns a lot from it. Also, it taught me that it’s not easy. I overworked myself for the past six months getting this project complete from beginning to end. I spent the last nine days averaging three to four hours of sleep just to make sure everyone gets the opportunity to have this powerful masterpiece. I want everyone to know that I’m working on myself every day and I just hope that everyone can appreciate this book and have as much fun reading it as I had making it.

Aside from running a foundation and writing a book, what are you doing these days?

Well, I am currently a freshman at Western Kentucky University. I am double major in biology and political science with a minor in legal studies. I hope to one day either serve my community by becoming a neurologist or an attorney. I also have aspirations of serving our city and commonwealth either on the state or national legislature. I have had the great opportunity to meet and become great friends with Kentucky Rep. and former Speaker Jody Richards this year. He has become a mentor and a great inspiration for me and I hope to one day continue the legacy he has bestowed upon our city and commonwealth. Currently, I have an internship with United Way of Southern Kentucky which I am very thankful for the opportunity Mrs. Debbie Hills and Mr. Norman Wheeler have given me. Besides that, I am an inspirational and motivational speaker. I have traveled to several cities giving speeches to inspire people in all aspects of life.

How do you plan on getting through Bowling Green’s quickly changing winter weather?

I plan on focusing on keeping myself warm. This weather tends to have a toll on your health, so preparation is key. If we have a good amount of snowfall, I would like to get a chance to go out and enjoy because it only comes around once a year, so I would like to try and make the most of it. If we get hit with a blizzard, I just want to take some time for myself and drink some hot cocoa because I don’t get the chance to do that often.