Bakic selected as commencement speaker

Casper College sophomore Marija Bakic was this year’s commencement speaker for the college’s 75th Annual Commencement ceremony. Bakic comes to Casper from Podgorica, Montenegro, but most recently from Rome, Italy, where she went to high school and played basketball for an Italian basketball team or youth club that had recruited her. Unlike the U.S., sports teams in high school are nonexistent in Europe. She graduated May 14 with her Associate of Arts degree in political science.

During her time at Casper College, Bakic was president of the Casper College International Student Club, part of the college’s academic honors program, and a Casper College Student Ambassador at the college’s Student Success Center and the student life office. And, let’s not forget that Bakic has been an integral member of the Casper College Lady Thunderbirds Basketball team, which during her two years went 51-5.

Bakic will be transferring to Arkansas Tech University this fall, where she will be playing basketball for the Golden Suns. “Marija will do good things at ATU. She has earned her scholarship through her hard work, good basketball play, and outstanding academics here at Casper College. They are getting a very hard-working lady at ATU. We are very proud of Marija,” said Dwight Gunnare, head coach for the Casper College Lady T-Birds Basketball team.

She plans to graduate in three years with both her bachelor’s in political science and her master’s in international relations from ATU. Following graduation, she plans to head back to Europe, where she hopes to play women’s basketball professionally. “After my potential professional career, I would love to work as an ambassador in one of the embassies,” Bakic noted.

Bakic would like to work for different embassies, either Montenegro embassies throughout the world or stay in Montenegro and work for other embassies from other countries located there. And, she should have no problem with any languages she might encounter as she already speaks Serbian, English, Italian, Spanish, “and a little French.”

The future looks bright for Marija Bakic, and Casper College is pleased to call her one of their own!