By CATRIONA STEWART
SCHOOLGIRL Mila Stricevic is set to be the most starstruck teenager in Glasgow as she meets Barack Obama.
Mila, who will be joined by her twin sister Anna, won a competition to read a self-penned poem to Mr Obama tonight at Edinburgh International Conference Centre.
And when news of the 13-year-old’s success her mum was left screaming with pride.
Hyndland Secondary pupil Mila said: “I’m very excited but overwhelmed because I’ve never experienced anything like this before.
“I didn’t expect to win the competition.
“My sister Anna, did illustrations to go with the poem but they got ruined in the rain and we only managed to submit the poem on the competition’s closing day.
“My mum screamed when I told her my poem had won.”
Mila, whose parents, Rachel and Milorad, are delighted their daughters are attending the high powered event, won a schools competition run by the Hunter Foundation.
She was told of the success of her poem, If I Ruled Scotland, in a phone call from Sir Tom Hunter.
Now she, Anna and eight of her school friends will attend tonight’s prestigious seminar and banquet where the former US president will give a key note speech.
Mila, who is interested in social justice and plans to work for Amnesty International when she is older, is a huge fan of Mr Obama.
She added: “I was really shocked when I found out [my poem] had won and I’m really nervous about reading it in front of Mr Obama.
“He is really inspirational, everything he did was with done with integrity.
“Plus he was the first Black president of the United States.”
Mila entered the schools competition with support from her English teacher Mandy McGuire after her mum, Rachel, spotted it advertised in a newspaper.
Mrs McGuire said: “We are so thrilled for Mila and for the other children who are going.
“It is the opportunity of a lifetime.
“It has all been a bit of a whirlwind but everyone is very excited.”
Mila received a phone call from Sir Tom Hunter after finding out she had won an audience with one of the most influential men in the world.
The teenager said: “I didn’t expect to speak to Sir Tom personally but he said he filled up when he read my poem.
“It was really nice.”
I Read the full text of Mila’s poem:
If I Ruled Scotland
By Mila Stricevic, aged 13 of Hyndland Secondary School
If I ruled Scotland here is what I would do
I’d make everything equal for me and you
I’d educate Scotland on hope and peace
And make the minorities feel at ease
If I ruled Scotland here’s a law I would pass
When the sun shone no kids were in class
Instead we’d play Rounders or read in the shade
(after all it’s unlikely to last more than one day!)
If I ruled Scotland here’s what I would do
I’d keep the night safe from crime and misuse
I’d treat prisoners like humans – guide them back to a life
Filled with prosper and respect, doesn’t that sound nice?
If I ruled Scotland here’s some stuff I would ban
Like Mars Bars deep fried or those pies in cans
But don’t fret, even though it has a strange hue
I would never get rid of our loved Irn Bru!
If I ruled Scotland here’s what I’d do
I’d save all the dying accents so people knew
That in Scotland there is more than one type of man
We celebrate our differences as best as we can
If I ruled Scotland here’s what I would teach
That’s football’s no place for hate to be preached
That supporting a team shouldn’t dictate
Which people we like and which people we hate
If I ruled Scotland I’d invest in our schools
To ensure rich or poor, our kids had all the tools
To puruse their own dream, regardless of class
And make Scotland a nation where no one comes last
If I ruled Scotland here’s something I’d try
We’d fund our NHS, to keep it alive
Then when people get sick, no matter how deep their pockets
We’d always have medicine on hand to stop it
If I ruled Scotland I wouldn’t allow
Any racism nonsense to interfere with my vow
That no matter the colour or tone of your skin
We’re all Jock Tamson’s bairns and that means we’re all kin.
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here