Alumni Spotlight: Sandro Sehic, Ph.D.

Sandro Sehic’s Utica journey almost ended before it ever began. As a young Bosnian teenager in a war-torn county, his father was detained in a concentration camp, and his mother made plans to flee to Germany. When the Sehic family’s German visas expired, they were forced to search for a place to resettle.

The phone call that changed everything came from the U.S. Consulate, and with it, hope.

Sandro knew little about the United States beyond what he had seen in Hollywood films, and he didn’t speak English. In 1995, he left behind everything he knew with the promise of safety, freedom and opportunity, thanks to the Utica Refugee Center, which sponsored his family.

Sandro couldn’t pronounce “Utica,” but he located it on a map right away, assuming it was a suburb of New York City. When his family arrived on Aug. 28, they received word just before school started that his father made it out of Bosnia safely and would soon join them in their new city. Despite everything he had endured, Sandro worried about fitting in, whether classmates would make fun of his speech or if he’d get lost on the bus ride to Proctor High School.

Entering the Utica City School district as a 10th-grade student, Sandro vividly remembers his English as a Second Language teacher. It was a rainy morning when he and his brother first stepped into Proctor, having been through an odyssey that most kids couldn’t fathom. That fear began to fade when Sandro met Mrs. Constatine, and later Miss Bartlett, who immediately began helping the Sehic brothers learn English. Whether it was this moment or the years that followed, this experience shaped Sandro’s future. He would go on to become a high school educator himself, giving back to the community that helped build his foundation.

Today, Sandro Sehic is a community leader and co-founder of BACA. BACA is a nonprofit committed to promoting and empowering Bosnian American heritage and unity in Utica through education, cultural engagement and active community involvement. Professionally, he is a distance learning teacher for social studies and psychology. Some of his most prized possessions are letters from students framed in his office, a true testament to his passion for teaching. Sandro now reaches students across multiple school districts through remote instruction at OHM BOCES.

“Once in a while, I go to Proctor and I always feel this nostalgia,” Sehic said. “Remembering this classroom and that classroom where I sat. I like to go to the track at the gym. There are so many pictures of students and athletes, and when I recognize people, it feels so good to have this alumni connection.”

Although he doesn’t consider himself a natural athlete, Sandro says he’s proud to have played on the Proctor football team alongside fellow alumnus and NFL standout defensive end Will Smith. He also remembers Coach Walter Savage as a major influence during his high school days. Standing at a towering 6-foot-5 inches, nearly every coach encouraged Sandro to join their team. When he decided to play football, Sandro practiced in tennis shoes because size 13 cleats weren’t easy to find and money was tight. One day, Coach Savage surprised him with a brand-new pair of cleats. Sehric asked him how much he owed, and Savage refused his payment.

“I will never forget it,” Sehic said. “He told me, ‘Don't worry about it.’ I kept asking how much I owed, and he still wouldn’t take any money. I’ll remember that for the rest of my life,” Sandro says humbly, explaining he wasn’t even a top player. He enjoyed exercise and comradery more than the competition. “I was on the football team, but was I good? No. I came to practice. I worked hard and Coach Savage taught me and I got stronger. It was a fun time,” he recalls with a smile.

Today, some of his students are the children of his former classmates, a full-circle moment he deeply appreciates when he tells them, “I knew your dad, we went to Proctor together,” he said.

When asked what advice he would give current students in the UCSD, his grasp on wisdom is still wistful, though he graduated in 1998. “I wish I could go back at least for one day and be a student again. You don’t realize it when you're there, but high school is the best time of your life. Make the most of it and enjoy it.”

A lifelong learner, Sandro admires President Ulysses S. Grant as a champion of civil rights. After graduating from Proctor, he attended Mohawk Valley Community College where he studied humanities and social studies. He later earned a degree in political science from Utica University, followed by a master’s degree in education. He continued his studies by pursuing a Ph.D. in curriculum and education through an online program at National University. Sandro also earned a second master's degree in sociology from Grand Canyon University.

With a slew of teachers rolling off his tongue, Sandro explains that his teachers at Proctor were like second parents. It was there that his love of Utica bloomed, and today he still resides in the city that offered him refuge, explaining that he doesn’t feel the pull to relocate and that Utica is his forever home.

Outside the classroom, Sandro remains involved in the community. He mentors Bosnian youth, serves as a board member with Olmsted City and volunteers with the Players of Utica explaining, “It’s not hard.” Through his actions, Sandro continues to give back and never forgets where he came from. The kindness Sandro received in Utica shaped his character and today he lives life paying that generosity forward, showing others what it means to live with gratitude both in the classroom and in the community.