Hi! My name is Lazar Tripinović. I’m a 20 year old from Belgrade, Serbia. For the last two years I attended UWC East Africa in Arusha, Tanzania. My main reason for choosing East Africa was to explore this side of the world of which I didn’t know much, but was deeply intrigued by. I’m happy to say I succeed in my plans. I got a chance to travel through Tanzania and meet people of various backgrounds. I spent my time both with locals and expats, and shared this great experience with my UWC colleagues.
When I chose LC, I looked at its location, exchange programs, and academics. I’m planning to major in International Affairs, but what really attracted me is the minor in Political Economy. The influence of economy in the world is obvious, but it still stays untransparent. I prefer a focused academic program to a general one. Besides my love for traveling, exchange programs are crucial for me because university education needs to extend to the real world, and since I plan on majoring in International Affairs, it would be impossible to understand the world from only one country’s perspective.
I love exploring cities. An important factor in choosing LC was its proximity to Portland. I am looking forward to exploring the city and discovering its culture scene. I hope to engage with the Portland culture scene and find my place in the city. I hate living locked in one place, so living in a vibrant environment is a must for me. I heard great things about Portland; I heard of open-minded people and an amazing food scene, lots of arts and outdoors culture. This seems like a superb combination and that is what mainly drew me to LC.
The US will be the third country I have lived in. I am originally from Belgrade, Serbia but I spent two years living in Arusha, Tanzania during my time at UWC. It was a great experience and a cultural shock moving to another continent. I had some hard times, but I learned so much. I became more aware of cultural differences. Thus, I’m looking forward to discovering American culture and having some amazing adventures on the West Coast. What I want to take away from LC is the time spent discovering new places and having new experiences and new friends.