Valentina Ivanovic, a senior transfer student, has joined Bear River from Serbia. Born and raised in Serbia, Valentina has found America to be a much different experience.

“Here I have an opportunity to be in leadership and other activities, I learn new things in each of them,” she said. “At my economics school, I had a class about tourism.”

There are many cultural differences that Ivanovic has experienced.

“People are more relaxed here and have more freedom,” she said. “In Serbia, it is more conservative, and people’s behavior is much different.”

She believes that the opportunities given to students at Bear River are better than at home.

“Here you have so many activities, schools in Serbia don’t have as many.”

Her classmates have enjoyed her company.

“She’s a really sweet, fun person once you get to know her,” junior Kennedy Herrera said. “(I remember) there was someone who transferred from Ireland, they were also a really cool person to know.”

Another student, junior Brittney Carson, is new to having a foreign student around.

“(It was) my very first time meeting a transfer student.”

When asked about her plans for the future and if she would like to stay in America, Valentina was open to staying.

“Because I like the culture here, I would like to get a scholarship here for college,” she said. “I have a visa for 10 months or the whole school year.”