Campus Celebrity: Mihailo Dimitrijevic
Hometown: Belgrade, Republic of Serbia
Graduation year: 2016
Majors/Minors: Urban Sustainability and Resilience
Activities you’re involved in on campus?
- Study Abroad Adviser at the Center for International Education
- Boot Camp Instructor at the O’Connor Sports Center
- International Students’ Society. Â
Tell us about the fitness class you teach at O’Connor.
This workout focuses on strengthening your core and building stamina. It does not include lifting heavy weights. These programs are designed to build strength and fitness through a variety of intense group intervals over a 1-hour period of time. It includes various types of intense, explosive routines. This provides a different environment for those who get bored at the gym and find it hard to get into the habit of exercising. Participants make friends and socialize as they work out.
What languages do you speak?
Serbian, English, and French.
What’s it like being an international student at Xavier?Â
Generally, at any American university, culture shock is something that every international student has to go through. There are many struggles that international students go through while studying at Xavier (or any other college in America) such as:
1. Having random gaps in your pop culture knowledge, and resorting to the “smile-and-nod” tactic to pretend you know what’s going on
2. Going days without talking to your parents because when they’re up and free to call, you’re not
3. Scouring the entire continental U.S. for someone who will cook your native cuisine as well as your mom
4. The awkward resentment you feel when people try to tell you that they know how you feel.
There are many other struggles of being an international student, but overall, I have had a great experience at Xavier. Xavier is a very diverse school, and the people that I met here were very happy to help me and went out of their way to make me feel comfortable and welcomed. Luckily, people are very accepting and eager to learn about my culture and teach me about theirs in exchange.Â
What is the best place you have ever visited?
I have visited many counties and amazing places in my life, but I would have to say that the most interesting place would be Istanbul in Turkey. It is a city located on the crossroads of civilizations and cultures. You can experience the traditional Middle Eastern tradition as well as modern Western way of living. It is a city full of secrets and mysterious historic sites.Â
What are your plans for next year?
Since I am graduating in May, my plan is to move to Chicago and work for P&G in the Sustainability Department. Working there would involve improving P&G facilities and making them more environmentally sustainable. I will also continue to work closely with the Serbian Ministry for Foreign Relations and the Serbian Consulate in Chicago.Â