Danica Stosic ’25, English Language and Literature Major, Classical Civilization Minor, shares about their internship at Edu Link Educational Center, Belgrade, Serbia
“Hello! My name is Danica Stosic and I am a rising junior at Whitman College, majoring in English and minoring in Classics & Classical Studies. This summer I got the opportunity to intern at the Edu Link Educational Center in Belgrade, Serbia, where I utilized the knowledge and experience which I have acquired so far, and worked on enhancing my skills. This internship I designed myself, along with my supervisor, so I have included a short background story of how it was created.
In 2018, I was lucky enough to be awarded a full HMC Projects scholarship after achieving great results in the competition beforehand, which allowed me to do my A-Levels at one of the best private boarding schools in England, Pangbourne College, that is attend this school for my junior and senior year of high school. This moment in my life, and this extremely generous opportunity given to me by the HMC Projects, is what shaped me into the person I am today. It opened so many doors, including my acceptance and full financial aid to attend Whitman College, but also gave me the opportunity to experience life independently in a country outside of Serbia, which I never thought would be a possibility for me. As a first generation student, this full HMC Projects scholarship meant that I get to have a brighter future, a chance to not be restricted by certain things, and to work on myself and grow as an individual.
As you can probably tell, this internship is a very personal one to me. I have created this internship in order to repay my gratitude to the Edu Link Educational Center, HMC Projects and ASSIST, in hopes that I could help younger generations of high school students succeed and get to experience life like I did. I also wanted to take the knowledge of the English language and literature which I gained during my time in England, as well as the two years at Whitman College, and pass it on to future HMC & ASSIST competition participants. My aim is to provide education and to help people succeed. Besides having a goal for my students to achieve excellent results in the competition, I find it of utmost importance for these students to know that someone believes in them and the great things they are capable of. This summer, I have been offering free summer workshops, where I focused on building a foundation for students interested in applying for the HMC & ASSIST Projects competition, that is, going over the basics of the English language grammar with them, encouraging them to practice both their written and spoken English, while also giving them advice and practicing with them for the interview portion of the competition. As an English major, I know how crucial the knowledge of English grammar is, as it represents the foundation upon which you build and develop your language skills and further understanding, such as grasping various literature concepts and writing techniques, as well as verbal expression. Besides making sure that their English is improving consistently over the summer, by offering these free workshops I also really hoped to create a type of working environment where they felt safe and were encouraged to participate and grow, no matter their socioeconomic background.
This amazing experience was made possible thanks to the Whitman Internship Grant, and the continuous support and help from the Career and Community Engagement Center team members. I would also like to take this opportunity to invite and encourage other students at Whitman College to apply for the Whitman Internship Grant, because it is an amazing way to utilize your theoretical knowledge and put it into practice in a real world professional setting.”