With a knack for traveling and a thirst for adventure, Arsenija Zlaticanin came to the United States in 2014 and hasn’t looked back.
Though she misses her family and home country of Montenegro, Zlaticanin has made the most of her time in America as an outstanding student and public servant. Her hard work and dedication to her schoolwork and helping her community has earned her a nomination from GateWay Community College to the All-Arizona Academic Team.
As a member of the team, Zlaticanin will be honored at a special event in March and receive a scholarship that covers tuition to any of Arizona’s three public universities.
“My parents were so happy,” she said. “As an international student, we pay a lot of money. It’s recognition for all my hard work.”
Zlaticanin first arrived in America as a senior in high school. Just like her older sister, she wanted to become a foreign exchange student and was placed in the small town of Niagara, Wisc.
She said living in America was a culture shock at first, and at times she missed the familiarity of home.
“You miss family,” she said, “but then I realized so many people want the opportunity to leave their home country and go somewhere else, so I just took advantage of all the opportunities I had.”
After finishing her year in Wisconsin, she went back to her hometown of Sutomore but wanted to continue her studies in America. She applied for a student visa and was back in the United States within a year.
Her older sister studied abroad while in high school, too, and then moved back to Phoenix to attend GateWay Community College. Zlaticanin knew coming to Arizona would provide her with new opportunities in addition to the family she had yearned for in Wisconsin.
“It’s something that we always dreamt about, living together in America,” Zlaticanin said.
She followed her sister’s path and ended up at GateWay with hopes of eventually transferring to Arizona State University to finish her bachelor’s degree in business administration. As an international student, tuition was significantly more affordable at GateWay, and her sister, who also attended GateWay, enjoyed her experience.
As soon as she arrived on campus, Zlaticanin took advantage of everything GateWay had to offer. She immediately started getting involved, joining multiple student organizations and eventually becoming a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society. She said she was volunteering and working with clubs at least 20 hours per week.
“I’m so passionate about giving back to the community,” she said. “I would eventually like to start a nonprofit in the next 10 years to help those that are less fortunate.”
Growing up in a tourist town, Zlaticanin's family managed rental properties, and starting at the ripe age of 5, she began working with the family’s business. Talking to the many tourists and growing her management and marketing skills helped her discover her aptitude for business.
Zlaticanin hopes to transfer to the W. P. Carey School of Business at ASU in the fall. Her sister also graduated from ASU.
She said the unwavering support of her parents has pushed her to work hard and make her family proud.
“The reason why I’m doing my best and working hard is for my future but also for the future of my family,” she said. “I’m so thankful for such amazing and caring parents who give everything they have to make me happy and give me the opportunity to study overseas and be successful.”
She also aims for success to set a good example for her sisters.
“I have two younger sisters who look up to me and my older sister as their role models, she said. “They follow our examples just as I followed the example of my older sister. I want to encourage them and everyone else to pursue their dreams because nothing is impossible if you really want it.”
Zlaticanin and another GateWay student, Brenda Perez, will be honored at a luncheon on March 9, 2017, for the All-Arizona Academic Team.