Bosnian Volleyball Player Plans To Take On America
By Nikki Colonna
Staff Writer
Sophomore Sonja Udovcic is no stranger to risks as she left her home country of Bosnia to pursue a hopeful future in volleyball at Lynn. Playing volleyball while earning a degree are just some of her goals she strives to achieve in her next two years as a student-athlete.
Living in Bosnia for 22 years, Udovcic worked very hard to create goals, setting her on a path to fulfill her dreams at a young age. She was introduced to the sport of volleyball at age of 13 and knew right away that she wanted continue to pursue it at a higher level.
Life back in Bosnia was different – there were fewer opportunities for school and work for her and her family. Aware of her goals of pursuing a good education and a competitive volleyball career, she knew she needed to be somewhere else.
“When you compare my life [in Bosnia] to living in America now, we were a poor country, life was much harder before because we had to work harder for less money,” explained Udovcic.
Udovcic noted that universities in her native Bosnia do not have collegiate volleyball – they only offer club level play. That structure means that everyone is extremely engaged strictly for the love of the sport.
“I do think that we are more passionate back at home and I wanted to bring my passion of the sport to combine with the high level of play here in America,” said Udovcic.
As for her college education, Sonja is a determined young woman majoring in criminal justice as she aspires to be a police officer. Formerly studying in a college in Bosnia, Udovcic transferred to Lynn to escape limitations in class choices and less than challenging courses in her major.
Without knowing exactly what her new life would bring, she left everything behind, including her family and friends, in order to pursue her dreams and achieve her goals.
“[It was] hard, a really big sacrifice but I believe that I [have] a much better opportunity overall here at Lynn,” said Udovcic confidently.
She plans to graduate in May of 2019 with her degree in addition to retiring from being the captain of the volleyball team.
She hopes that her future includes volleyball overseas for 2 or 3 years after college before she begins her career as a police officer and eventually working for the FBI.
