A FAMILY RARELY SEEN: The Hadzi Puric family is guiding four students onto their life path, and together they have over 300 medals! (VIDEO)

The Hadzi Puric family has four students and four competitors. And it is hard to say which one is more successful. Their mother, a cyber defense architect at the Faculty of Mathematics, says that IT helps her organize the children, and that the children chose those fields in which she is not an expert.

“My favorite subject is history. I started competing after seeing how my brothers and sister learn from each other and prepare for the STEMCO Olympiad in Singapore,” states Stefan Hadzi-Puric, a student at the “Branko Radicevic” Elementary School in Batajnica.

Geography as a weapon of knowledge

Ilija gives preference to geography.

“Geography extends to various fields and can be physical, political, and social. It deals with all parts of the world, and I use it to understand what is happening in the world and why it is happening,” states Ilija Hadzi-Puric, a student at the Zemun Gymnasium.

Novi Sad and family roots

Unlike her brothers, Jovana attends high school in Novi Sad, and she also plays the piano.

“In Novi Sad, they have a very good choir, which really means a lot to me because I love to sing. Somehow, Novi Sad is especially dear to me, and our grandmother is from there, so it’s nicer for me there,” states Jovana Hadzi-Puric, a student at the “Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj” Gymnasium in Novi Sad.

STEMCO Olympiad Champion

Vasilije is a senior at the Mathematical Grammar School. He was the absolute champion at the STEMCO Olympiad.

“I am currently preparing for a new cycle of competitions, specifically for the national competition in physics, astronomy, and astrophysics. As far as plans go, to put it in poker terms, ‘the big cards are on the table’ and I’m still thinking about the offers. I plan to perhaps enroll in a faculty in Serbia, but I also have offers from abroad,” states Vasilije Hadzi-Puric, a senior at the Mathematical Grammar School in Belgrade.

Parenting as a two-way lesson

The mother of four, Jelena Hadzi-Puric, a cyber defense architect from the Faculty of Mathematics, says that at a certain stage of parenting, there comes a moment when parents begin to learn from their children. She points out that, after becoming a widow, she took over the care of four children on her own.

“I am very satisfied that they have developed talents that, it seems to me, artificial intelligence will not be able to defeat. Those are an affinity for experimental physics, then music theory and solfège, geography that is learned by walking, as Jovan Cvijic used to say, as well as history and archaeology,” says mom Jelena.

Jelena’s plans are to continue being a devoted mother and to enable her children to develop their talents. The children have the support of their professors, and all four schools they attend, as she says, are exceptional. They all sing in the church choir, so a trip to Hungary awaits them soon.