Erasmus experience took Nađa further from home- and closer to understanding her own abilities
For Nađa Rajković courage does not mean working in the comfort zone all the time. For her it means continuing even when you are out of it. At age of 22, this Film and Media student from Podgorica is already building a life shaped by creativity, education and experiences beyond the everyday. Her path has taken her from music and dance studios to film-editing rooms, and, through Erasmus+, to classrooms, cities and cultures across Europe.
But every journey has a beginning. For Nađa, it began with a mother who recognised an opportunity before her daughter believed she was ready for it. “My mother was the one who first saw the Erasmus application and suggested that I look into it,” Nađa recalls. “At first, I was not sure. The only thought in my mind was: ‘I won’t get in. Even if I apply, I won’t get in.’” Her mother’s answer was simple: “At some point in life, you have to try.” Nađa did—and that decision changed far more than her location.
Creativity as a way of understanding the world
Nađa has always been drawn to creating. She completed seven years of primary music school, specialising in piano, and spent years practising dance and participating in regional and international competitions. Over time, music, movement and visual storytelling came together in film.
Today, having passed all her examinations in the Film and Media programme at the Faculty of Design and Multimedia, Nađa is preparing for the next chapter. Her days are filled with ideas, scripts, editing and the gradual transformation of something imagined into something others can see and feel. Before the camera is switched on, she explains, there is a long and often unpredictable creative process.
“The concept frequently changes as it develops, and very often the first idea is not the one I ultimately pursue or film.”
Today, she understands that uncertainty is part of the process. “I came to realise that this is precisely the moment when I need to keep going. I take a break if necessary and then continue. Even if I fail, I can still learn a valuable lesson that I can apply to my future work. It is a lesson that extends far beyond filmmaking.”
Leaving the familiar behind
Through a school programme, she spent a month in Ukraine, dividing her time between an electrical engineering school and practical training at a factory. In her third year of secondary school, she completed a one-month Erasmus+ traineeship in Bologna. Later, during her university studies, she spent a semester at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas. Each experience took her further from home—and closer to understanding her own abilities.
“The most important thing I gained abroad was learning to separate from my parents and live independently in an unfamiliar environment,” she says. Fear did not disappear. But Nađa learned not to let it make her decisions. “Fear of the unknown is very powerful. I am sure that I have given up on certain things in my life simply because I was too afraid to do them. But through the experiences where I did not give up, I realised that this was what I wanted—and that I needed to surrender to that other, positive feeling.”
Supported by the European Union, Erasmus+ enables young people to spend part of their education, traineeship or professional development in another European country. For Nađa, these opportunities offered much more than academic or professional experience. They taught her independence, strengthened her confidence and allowed her to see both the world and her from a different perspective.
New cities, cultures and traditions now also shape her creative work. “What I love most about travelling is discovering different cultures and their traditions,” she explains. “I encounter different ways of thinking and different habits, which often inspire me and help me develop a new perspective on my ideas, particularly when making films.”
The support that made success possible
Nađa’s story is also a reminder that success is rarely achieved alone. Behind the international exchanges, completed examinations and new creative ambitions stands the encouragement she received at home—particularly from her mother, who recognised Nađa’s potential when fear made it difficult for her to see it herself.
That encouragement did not remove every obstacle or provide certainty about the outcome. Instead, it gave Nađa something equally important: the confidence to submit the application, accept the opportunity and take the first step. Erasmus+ then opened a door to experiences that helped her grow into a more independent young woman and a more confident creator. Today, whether she is developing a script, working in the university editing studio or walking among film canisters at the Montenegrin Cinematheque, Nađa carries those experiences with her. They are present in the stories she wants to tell, in her willingness to explore unfamiliar ideas and in her determination to complete what she begins.
Nađa is still building her path. She does not know exactly where every idea, project or opportunity will lead. But now she knows that uncertainty is not always a reason to stop. Sometimes, it is simply the moment when you must try harder.
