This story appeared in the Fall 2026 edition of Onyx Anneau.
By Maša Pešić, senior Digital Marketing major
Growing up in Serbia, the “American dream” was something we only saw on TV as kids — big campuses, teams, that legendary yellow school bus, all out of reach for someone on the other side of the world. Volleyball made that dream come true for me. After playing my whole life, I was offered a scholarship on the Women’s Volleyball Team from the coaches, Ashley and Ian Harris. I didn’t know what a college visit was. SMWC was the first and only college I ever got in touch with, and here I am today. It’s not exactly the usual path, but it worked out better than I could have planned. I came here to play volleyball and get my degree, but I never expected the campus to shape me into someone far beyond an athlete.
The past four years gave me a collection of “you had to be there” stories I’ll be laughing about for the rest of my life. Volleyball gave me my first sense of belonging, but it was everything built around it that made The Woods feel like home. My first semester, I was quietly translating everything in my head before I could answer and have a real conversation. I remember the exact people and professors who slowed down for me without ever making me feel behind. That patience allowed me to open up, and real friendships followed fast — traveling the country with my teammates, having the best roommates I could’ve asked for, late nights before a tournament and the kind of inside jokes you only get from people who’ve watched you grow along the way. Somewhere between practices, classes and tears during hard times, English stopped feeling like a second language, and SMWC stopped feeling like just a school — it became home.
As I get ready to graduate, what I’ll carry with me isn’t any title or achievement. It’s the friendships I know will last a lifetime — the people I’ve laughed with, grown up alongside and leaned on when home felt far away. I got to live my dream, and the proof isn’t in a diploma. It’s in the relationships that made this the best time of my life, the ones I’ll carry with me long after I leave The Woods. Even though I plan to go back home to Serbia, I know that I will always have a place here at SMWC.