06 December 2009
Student Dusan Vuksanovic at Green Mountain College
His name is Dusan Vuksanovic. Dusan says after graduating from high school and spending some time on the internet, a college named Green Mountain College showed up on the computer, so he decided to give the college a try.
"I'm from Belgrade which is the capital city of Serbia and I decided to come to the United States on impulse. I am currently attending Green Mountain College in Poultney, Vermont and I was searching for schools online and I typed something in and I honestly cannot remember what I typed in, but Green Mountain College popped up and it seemed to me that it would be a good choice," he said.
"It had the major that I wanted which is psychology. It has a lot of other various majors like communications which I eventually ended up doing which is my major, but also as an international student and coming from a family that doesn't earn a whole lot I was also looking for colleges that would be financial affordable to me and Green Mountain College also fulfilled that requirement as well."
With a bit of luck and chance, financial assistance for Dusan came through the Make a Difference Scholarship.
"I am on work-study but I am on a full-ride scholarship. I'm technically not even suppose to be here. That is why life is a matter of chance. I was initially declined for the Make A Difference scholarship which is a four-year, full-ride scholarship at Green Mountain and March 13, 2006 and two weeks later I got a call from the admissions officer with whom I've been in touch with the past six months and he called me up and he said that one of the people that was initially offered the scholarship declined it and that the committee decided that I was next in line and they awarded me the scholarship," he said.
If that hadn't happened I would have probably not been in the United States because they offered me a good financial package, but my family could not afford $16,000 per year which is how much I would have to pay if I did not receive the Make A Difference Scholarship," he said.
Now that Dusan is there, he has nothing but positive things to say about the environment, students and professors.
"The campus is extremely small. The atmosphere on campus is extremely relaxed, people are unbelieveably friendly, class discussion is highly encouraged, we rarely, rarely have lectures, the classes are student-driven and student-motivated and it is a very productive and very friendly environment," he said.
Dusan also hasn't wasted anytime becoming active with campus activities while he pursues a double major.
"Well, I am double majoring in history and communications with a minor in psychology. As far as communications goes, I am currently the main editor for the school newspaper called 'The Mountaineer,' academically things are going extremely well. In terms of professional pursuit thanks to my involvement with the school newspaper, I have attended several conferences in New York City called the College Media Advisor's conference in March 2009, I was selected to go to a workshop in the 'New York Times' office called 'Inside the Times'and that was just a priceless experience of getting to see of how the real world of journalism functions," he said.
"I've also been involved with the National Model of United Nations. As far as History, I am currently working on my History seminar thesis which deals with the development of sports in kingdom of Serbia and founding of the Serbia Olympic Committee and things are going extremely, extremely well," he said.
When asked what being in the United States means to him. His reply...."What America means to me and what I have learned through my experience is that getting to a goal it is a matter of your engagement, but it also has an element of luck and an element of chance," he said.
"You need to focus yourself on getting and achieving that goal, but you also need to keep in mind that if you try to plan it out a path from point A to point B its just not going to work. I could sum it up and say life is not MapQuest!"
Dusan will graduate in May of next year.