Julian Jovanovich, 21-year-old guard for the IVCC men’s basketball team, is best known for how smooth he is on the court but should be known more for the person he is.

Julian has a love for the game of basketball but has many more goals and aspirations in life than just playing basketball.

One thing the average person might not know about Julian is that he is from Neuchatel, Switzerland. He attended Jean-Piaget High School and speaks three fluent languages. Julian came to the United States to pursue a love for basketball.

He stated, “from a young age I have always had a dream to play college basketball and with little opportunity in Switzerland, when I had the opportunity to come here and play I knew I had to seize the opportunity.”

However, there is much more to Julian’s life than just basketball. He wants to pursue his studies at a university in the United States. Julian is a man with many goals, which include, having a family, finish his studies, and in doing so staying happy and healthy. Julian is majoring in physical education and would like to become a P.E teacher and if possible coach basketball as well.

Coming to the United States is not as easy as it may seem. Julian misses many things which include: family and friends, public transportation, food, being able to go to the dance clubs, beach volleyball, and hanging out by the lake.

Many things have helped him adapt to the different lifestyle. Julian stated, “I have met amazing people at school and the educational system here is phenomenal. Those things make me glad that I came but I haven’t had the basketball season I had hoped for unfortunately.

When Julian first came to the United States, he didn’t know anyone other than his uncle and was worried about making friends. He soon realized making friends would not be as hard as he initially thought.

He stated, “I didn’t know anyone besides my uncle. It was easy for me to adapt because I like to take risks in life, and live my life to the fullest. My ambitions help me to move forward in life no matter what the circumstances are.”

Julian has a grade point average of 4.0 while attending IVCC and says his GPA is a reflection of how much the teachers have been willing to help him. When asked who his favorite instructor was at IVCC, it was a no brainer, “Steve Swett.”

Julian has noticed several things about the United States since he has been here. Some things include the lifestyle is more carefree, everything is bigger here, teachers at IVCC are amazing comparing to Switzerland, and life in America is much more expensive.

When asked if he planned on staying in the States, he said, “I want to discover more things in the U.S.; then I will make my decision. Life in Switzerland is more stressful, but I miss the diversity in culture and the landscape. Knowing this there may possibly be more opportunities if I stay here, so only time will tell.”