DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Student-Athletes Meet Croatian President Josipovic
5/13/2011 12:00:00 AM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
May 13, 2011
CHICAGO - DePaul University student-athletes and Croatian natives -- Edin Pasalic, Selma Salkovic, Mario Stula and Matija Palinic along with graduate assistant coach Dunja Antunovic met Croatian President, Prof. Dr. Ivo Josipovic on May 2 on the 22nd floor of DePaul's 55 E. Jackson Building.
Josipovic's visit to Chicago was part of his four-day trip to the United States in which he met meet Vice-President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, May 3.
"I really want to thanks DePaul University and Professor Richard Farkas for giving me such a wonderful opportunity to met Croatian President Ivo Josipovic," junior men's tennis student-athlete, Matija Patinic said. "It was an amazing experience and moment that I will definitely remember for life time."
The Croatian President was in Chicago for an address at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and then stopped by DePaul's Loop Campus to meet with faculty, students and University President Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider.
Palinic, Salkovic, Stula, Palinic and Antunovic greeted President Josipovic and presented him with a personalized soccer jersey. The Blue Demons student-athletes chatted with the President in their native tongue and posed for several photos.
Mario Stula, Men's Basketball, summed up his experience on meeting President Josipovic:
I came to work one day a few weeks ago, and I did my usual routine, I work in our Athletic Development office. I talked with Marge (Mazik) first, then Thad (Dohrn), and Lemone (Lampley). When I saw Lemone, the first thing he asked me was, "Mario, would you be interested in meeting the President of Croatia, Ivo Josipovic?"
As soon as Lamone asked me that question, I could not hide the smile on my face. There are 5 million people living in Croatia, and there are only a few lucky people that have had the chance to meet the leader of our country. Immediately after I found out about the meeting, I went home and called my parents on Skype. My mom and dad thought I was joking at first, and it took me a few minutes to convince my parents that this was actually happening.
Everyday I woke up with the thought that I was going to meet the President of Croatia. Finally, that day came on May 2nd on the 22nd floor of 55 E Jackson building. We were scheduled to meet President at 2 pm, but my fellow Croatian student-athletes were all excited so we decided to show up an hour earlier just in case.
At around 2:00, I heard door open and I saw the face of my President. I was extremely excited and nervous at the same time. After all, you do not get a chance to meet the President everyday. We spent a few minutes shaking hands and talking with our President.
The President was mostly interested in our education and what our plans are after college. The President expressed a wish to see young Croatian people like my friends and I to come back and help rebuild our country. That idea sounded great -- however I am focused on finishing my education at DePaul.
At the end of the meeting we handed the President a DePaul soccer jersey with his name on the back and a classical music CD from the DePaul music school. President Josipovic had played soccer when he was young, and he was also a big fan of classical music. I have enjoyed my meeting with the President and I will remember it as one of the most important days in my professional life.
Players Mentioned
