Into The Unknown
By Marija Curnic
Croatia is all about sports. We are a small country with about 4 million people. For comparison, this is about the population of Los Angeles — a single city compared to a whole country. And that is of all ages. To be so small yet so accomplished is incredible. For instance, in 2018, we made it to the finals of the World Cup and Luka Modric won the Golden Ball for best player in the tournament that year. We have other star athletes such as Drazen Petrovic, Ivan Rakitic, Blanka Vlasic, etc. As a kid, I looked up to these Croatian athletes and would sometimes dress up as them! After some time, my dad noticed the passion I had for sports and had me try them all out. That’s when I found tennis and to be honest, I’m still not quite sure why I chose tennis out of everything out there. I started practicing when I was 5 in a local club with a bunch of other kids my age. In the beginning, it was just for fun, but after a few years of practicing and actively competing in different tournaments, I realized I wanted to devote everything to tennis. That’s when I started being coached by private coaches who coached many professional Croatian tennis players such as Goran Ivanisevic and Petra Martic. What was very important for me when I decided to pursue a tennis career was that I always had full support from my family, especially my dad who spent any time he had driving me to and from practice and tournaments. From the very beginning, I was achieving remarkable results. By the end of my high school career, I was a three-time national champion, a member of the national team, and one of the top players in Europe in my age group.
As my results continued to improve, college coaches began to reach out. In the beginning, I was very against the idea of playing in college because people back home see college sports as a backup option after your professional career fails. But the more I thought about it, the more I could imagine myself playing the sport I love while getting an amazing education. In Croatia, there are no college sports so if I wanted to pursue a professional tennis career, I would have to give up on my education completely. After going back and forth, I made the difficult decision to forgo going pro and instead play in college. It took me almost the entire sophomore year of high school to decide if I wanted to do it or not. My parents and my sister played a huge role in this decision since they encouraged me to take a risk, go into the unknown and challenge myself in ways that I could never be challenged if I stayed home.
After talking to many schools, Penn stood out. I really liked the team, not only because they were awesome players and people, but also because the majority of the team were internationals. Our team at that time had players from Morocco, Poland, Russia, Singapore, and India. That gave me some sense of comfort because I knew that other team members went through a similar cultural shock and would know exactly how to help me. Also, I loved the academic program and Political Science department since I always knew what I wanted to major in. But the biggest factor was that I instantly connected with my coach. She grew up in Croatia before she moved to the U.S., so I felt safe coming to an unknown place knowing there was someone who understands my culture and speaks the same language.
I still remember my first semester at Penn vividly. It was a real cultural shock for me since I hadn’t spent more than a week in the U.S. before coming to Penn. On top of the culture shock, my English was “shaky” and I never had a class in English before. I struggled with trying to fit in, adjusting to the culture, and keeping up with classes. I felt like I was always one step behind. For example, I had no idea what different clubs at Penn were or what rushing for a sorority meant. Colleges back home don’t offer things like this so I never got the opportunity to come across anything similar. But I was fortunate enough to have amazing teammates and friends who supported me every step of the way. My family tried to be as supportive as they could but struggled to understand what college was like in the U.S., especially since they don’t speak much English and have never been to the U.S. before. All they knew was what they saw on TV. Now as a senior, I finally feel like I truly fit in here and I’m able to be myself while still feeling a connection to my home and culture.
My goal for the future is to help as many international students as I can in adjusting and overcoming the obstacles that many American students don’t face. It definitely can seem scary leaving your family and friends. Like many students, I went from seeing them everyday to twice a year. I still remember crying on my first flight to Philadelphia and walking into my empty dorm room all alone. Although I faced many challenges, this experience made me into the person I am today and I am so grateful for it. All I could really wish for now is the chance to compete next semester for the last time and have my family come to Penn to see me graduate at the place I’ve called home for the past four years.