Dimitrije's Bachelor's degree
Donation protected
Hello my friends, my name is Dimitrije Gudovski and this is the story about my college adventure in the US. I will start off with a little bit about myself.
I was born in town called Futog in suburban area of city of Novi Sad in my beautiful homeland of Serbia. I started playing basketball in 2nd grade and i fell in love with it since then. After graduating high school i had a desire to play professional basketball but that never came through so in the summer 2011 accepted a basketball schollarship at a small school called Eastern Wyoming college and i decided to move to the US.
It was a very big decision for me. Prio to that i have actually never left my country nor traveled more than 500 miles away from home and now i was moving away to a unknown place 5000 miles away from my family and friends. I didn't know what to expect but i was ready for the challage. I had couple hundred dollars in my pocket, smile on my face and love from my family but that was all i needed.
When i arrived to my new home everything was very different. Even though Wyoming is small, underpopulated state i liked it there. Community was nice and people were very pleasant and always willing to help . Everything was new and fun. I learned a lot about American culture and lifestyle.
I had a good time being on the team and we had a successful season. As school was approaching its end i was looking forward to the summer and also coming back stronger for next season. Unfortunately for me, my coach had other plans. He came to conclusion that it would be better for both of us that we continue separate ways and he decided not to bring me back for the next season. I was a bit shocked and unprepared for that kind of news but i respected his decision. I spent the next few months looking for a new school to play basketball while i also got the summer job at EWC where i saved some money to go back and visit my family in Serbia. The homesickness was so overwhelming that i had to go home just for 20 days. Meanwhile i managed to find my new home. After tons of empty phone calls with countless coaches who will promise you everything and give you nothing i actually managed to find a real deal. My next destination was Godfrey, Illinois. I signed for coach Deon Thomas at Lewis and Clark Community College.
My sophomore years was a bit different. New state, new people, new mentality. I was a little bit more experienced and mature and i knew what to expect. Living outside the dorms in a house with my teammates without meal plan and with a not so steady income was challenging.
I had yet another amazing year where i learned a lot and met tons of interesting people. Season ended and so did my Junior College basketball eligibility. It was time to move to the next level. I wrapped up the year at LCCC and i was ready to transfer to a 4 year school. I also got my Associate degree:
Just like the previous summer i had to go through recruiting all over again. This time it was easier because i had a little bit more time. After few weeks and another few dozens of phone calls with various coaches i found a school to transfer. It was Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Unlike previous two schools, my journey at Lincoln University was not so steady. Ever since i arrived i was encountering one problem after another. I didn't get what was promised to me and i was owing tuition money since day one even though i agreed and signed a full basketball scholarship. Our team was struggling and everything was wrapped up in negativity. It was by far the toughest year of my life. I chose Civil Engineering major and after the end of my junior year i wasn't even close to graduating due to low class load that school was allowing me to take and high class requirement for that specific major. At some points it was very stressful and intense. At the end i finished that year with 4.0 GPA and thanks to the few people who showed some understanding the financial mess caused by dishonest staff was fixed and i was able to finish my academical year without any financial troubles. Old coach was dismissed and new coach was hired. Me and him came to a mutual conclusion that Lincoln University was not a good fit for me and yet again i was ready to be recruited. For the 4th time.
I would like to mention that finding schools is very stressful process. It is a numbers game. You have to talk to tons of coaches. Being a 7-footer helped a lot. Everyone was interested at some point but when it gets to actually sealing the deal and start with the paper work most coaches will hesitate and leave you hanging in case they find a better recruit. And when they do they forget all about you. Entering the recruiting season with only 1 year of basketball eligibility was scary. Most coachs will not commit a scholarship for a player who can play only 1 year. I was worried that my college career will come to an end but i was never ever even close to give up. I knew that all i had to do is keep trying and always do my best and something will work out and boy it did. I was blessed with the amazing opportunity. I was given another chance at Malone University in Canton, Ohio a Division 2 NCAA school. I also switched my major from Civil Engineering to Mathematics.
Malone was everything i ever wanted from a school as a basketball player. It was a nice little Christan school in Northern Ohio. I was amazed by the hospitality of the people i met there. I was accepted as one of them and treated with respect and love. Coach Walker, coach Gruppen, the rest of the basketball stuff, my teammates and friends and pretty much everyone there provided me amazing chance to wrap up my college basketball career and continue my education. I had the most amazing year of my college life and i am very thankful for that.
Here are some memories captured in photos:
Our huge rivalry game against Walsh. We lost in double overtime, sigh. Greatest game i was ever part off:
My loving friends and fans:
Senior night:
We had a successful season in a very tough conference. The last game of the season was very emotional for me. The idea that i will never be a part of a organized basketball team brought me to tears but when i looked back i was happy with my journey despite all the struggles and problems that i had to solve.
Four years ago when i was leaving my home to come to play college basketball in the US i was aware that i was heading to the unknown but if somebody told me that this will be the path that i will take and these will be the problems i will encounter i would probably lock myself in the room and never actually decided to accept taking this journey. Being an international student with almost no aid other then basketball and will of the good people is tough. Not knowing where your home will be next year is scary yet adventurous thought. I was blessed with amazing opportunities and some great people who were on my side when i needed them the most. I learned a valuable life lesson. No matter how tough it gets you should never ever give up. Do your best and life will find a way to reward you when you least expect it. I'm not regretting any of my decisions and i am happy to be where i am now.
One downside of so many different schools and transfering credits is that i wasn't able to finish up my degree and graduate. I am 18 credit hours and one semester away from getting my Bachelor of Mathemathis from Malone University. I figured out most of my financials for the upcoming semester but i'm few bucks short and the fact that international students arn't alowed to work full time legally is not helping. If you liked my story feel free to help me graduate and complete one amazing chapter of my life and start another one. Thank you for reading :)
Best regards,
Dimitrije
I was born in town called Futog in suburban area of city of Novi Sad in my beautiful homeland of Serbia. I started playing basketball in 2nd grade and i fell in love with it since then. After graduating high school i had a desire to play professional basketball but that never came through so in the summer 2011 accepted a basketball schollarship at a small school called Eastern Wyoming college and i decided to move to the US.
It was a very big decision for me. Prio to that i have actually never left my country nor traveled more than 500 miles away from home and now i was moving away to a unknown place 5000 miles away from my family and friends. I didn't know what to expect but i was ready for the challage. I had couple hundred dollars in my pocket, smile on my face and love from my family but that was all i needed.
When i arrived to my new home everything was very different. Even though Wyoming is small, underpopulated state i liked it there. Community was nice and people were very pleasant and always willing to help . Everything was new and fun. I learned a lot about American culture and lifestyle.
I had a good time being on the team and we had a successful season. As school was approaching its end i was looking forward to the summer and also coming back stronger for next season. Unfortunately for me, my coach had other plans. He came to conclusion that it would be better for both of us that we continue separate ways and he decided not to bring me back for the next season. I was a bit shocked and unprepared for that kind of news but i respected his decision. I spent the next few months looking for a new school to play basketball while i also got the summer job at EWC where i saved some money to go back and visit my family in Serbia. The homesickness was so overwhelming that i had to go home just for 20 days. Meanwhile i managed to find my new home. After tons of empty phone calls with countless coaches who will promise you everything and give you nothing i actually managed to find a real deal. My next destination was Godfrey, Illinois. I signed for coach Deon Thomas at Lewis and Clark Community College.
My sophomore years was a bit different. New state, new people, new mentality. I was a little bit more experienced and mature and i knew what to expect. Living outside the dorms in a house with my teammates without meal plan and with a not so steady income was challenging.
I had yet another amazing year where i learned a lot and met tons of interesting people. Season ended and so did my Junior College basketball eligibility. It was time to move to the next level. I wrapped up the year at LCCC and i was ready to transfer to a 4 year school. I also got my Associate degree:
Just like the previous summer i had to go through recruiting all over again. This time it was easier because i had a little bit more time. After few weeks and another few dozens of phone calls with various coaches i found a school to transfer. It was Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri.
Unlike previous two schools, my journey at Lincoln University was not so steady. Ever since i arrived i was encountering one problem after another. I didn't get what was promised to me and i was owing tuition money since day one even though i agreed and signed a full basketball scholarship. Our team was struggling and everything was wrapped up in negativity. It was by far the toughest year of my life. I chose Civil Engineering major and after the end of my junior year i wasn't even close to graduating due to low class load that school was allowing me to take and high class requirement for that specific major. At some points it was very stressful and intense. At the end i finished that year with 4.0 GPA and thanks to the few people who showed some understanding the financial mess caused by dishonest staff was fixed and i was able to finish my academical year without any financial troubles. Old coach was dismissed and new coach was hired. Me and him came to a mutual conclusion that Lincoln University was not a good fit for me and yet again i was ready to be recruited. For the 4th time.
I would like to mention that finding schools is very stressful process. It is a numbers game. You have to talk to tons of coaches. Being a 7-footer helped a lot. Everyone was interested at some point but when it gets to actually sealing the deal and start with the paper work most coaches will hesitate and leave you hanging in case they find a better recruit. And when they do they forget all about you. Entering the recruiting season with only 1 year of basketball eligibility was scary. Most coachs will not commit a scholarship for a player who can play only 1 year. I was worried that my college career will come to an end but i was never ever even close to give up. I knew that all i had to do is keep trying and always do my best and something will work out and boy it did. I was blessed with the amazing opportunity. I was given another chance at Malone University in Canton, Ohio a Division 2 NCAA school. I also switched my major from Civil Engineering to Mathematics.
Malone was everything i ever wanted from a school as a basketball player. It was a nice little Christan school in Northern Ohio. I was amazed by the hospitality of the people i met there. I was accepted as one of them and treated with respect and love. Coach Walker, coach Gruppen, the rest of the basketball stuff, my teammates and friends and pretty much everyone there provided me amazing chance to wrap up my college basketball career and continue my education. I had the most amazing year of my college life and i am very thankful for that.
Here are some memories captured in photos:
Our huge rivalry game against Walsh. We lost in double overtime, sigh. Greatest game i was ever part off:
My loving friends and fans:Senior night:
We had a successful season in a very tough conference. The last game of the season was very emotional for me. The idea that i will never be a part of a organized basketball team brought me to tears but when i looked back i was happy with my journey despite all the struggles and problems that i had to solve.
Four years ago when i was leaving my home to come to play college basketball in the US i was aware that i was heading to the unknown but if somebody told me that this will be the path that i will take and these will be the problems i will encounter i would probably lock myself in the room and never actually decided to accept taking this journey. Being an international student with almost no aid other then basketball and will of the good people is tough. Not knowing where your home will be next year is scary yet adventurous thought. I was blessed with amazing opportunities and some great people who were on my side when i needed them the most. I learned a valuable life lesson. No matter how tough it gets you should never ever give up. Do your best and life will find a way to reward you when you least expect it. I'm not regretting any of my decisions and i am happy to be where i am now.
One downside of so many different schools and transfering credits is that i wasn't able to finish up my degree and graduate. I am 18 credit hours and one semester away from getting my Bachelor of Mathemathis from Malone University. I figured out most of my financials for the upcoming semester but i'm few bucks short and the fact that international students arn't alowed to work full time legally is not helping. If you liked my story feel free to help me graduate and complete one amazing chapter of my life and start another one. Thank you for reading :)
Best regards,
Dimitrije
Organizer
Dimitrije Gudovski
Organizer
Canton, OH
