ASU volleyball head coach Sanja Tomasevic officially became a U.S. citizen on March 9, but becoming a citizen wasn’t always on the mind of the Serbia native.
After living in a wide variety of countries, Tomasevic saw a better future for herself and her future family in the U.S. She wanted to tell her daughter, Stella, that hard work can reap rewards, something she believed could be realized the most in the U.S.
Tomasevic came to the U.S. to play at the University of Washington from 2002-05. She said she lived in many different countries outside of Serbia and the U.S. during her time as a volleyball player, including Italy, Switzerland, Greece and South Korea.
She didn't plan to stay in the U.S. after college, and said she thought in her first two years at Washington that she was "going to get out of here and go home, because I missed home.”
But she grew more fond of the U.S. during her junior and senior years because of how success in the country wasn’t as reliant on connections compared to Serbia. Tomasevic said favoritism is prevalent in Serbian culture, adding that connections are vital for a good life.
She said she once spent four hours trying to get her passport renewed, and she was yelled at by employees for asking how much longer it would take. She went home, unsuccessful.
However, after her father made a phone call, she went back and got her passport renewed in under 20 minutes, Tomasevic said.
Tomasevic said because of the fact she was on the Serbian women's national volleyball team at the time, her passport "would turn around in 24 hours just because I was an athlete,” when for a normal person, it would take much longer.
She said favoritism was also present in hiring practices in the country. “They’ll come up with some lame excuse why they are getting the other person, when in reality it boils down to family knows family,” Tomasevic said.
Instead of relying on connections, Tomasevic values hard work. That is something she aims to instill with her team, according to sophomore outside hitter Iman Isanovic and freshman libero Alasia Ureña.
“When she sets her mind to something, she does it 100%,” Ureña said.
Ureña said the team celebrated once it heard that Tomasevic had officially become a U.S. citizen.
“I was super happy for her,” Isanovic said. “She really enjoys the U.S. and loves the culture and the people.”
Some members of the team also enjoyed joking around Tomasevic after she became a citizen. Isanovic, a Bosnian native, even joked with Tomasevic about only speaking English now that she is a U.S. citizen.
Despite her previous hesitancy in college, Tomasevic has now fully embraced becoming a U.S. citizen and said she was excited for what life has of her and for her family in the country.
"America is the land of opportunity, and I really love what America has to give in the future," Tomasevic said.
Reach the reporter at njpietrz@asu.edu and follow @NPietrzycki on Twitter.
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