Jovana Jacimovic

Hi, I’m Jovana, and I’m a student at University of Regensburg, where I attended a unique bilingual class that was taught in both English and Montenegrin during the 2017/2018 school year. My home school experience gave me the incredible opportunity to apply to the Städtisches Stiftsgymnasium Xanten in Germany. In what was a highly competitive selection process, I was awarded a full scholarship for the 2018/2019 period. I had a great time at my new school – all my courses were taught in English, I stayed with a German family, had international friends, and attended intensive Spanish lessons. This programme has given me a solid base through which I managed to learn a lot about the EU, which I believe will help me not only in becoming a future EU citizen, but also allow me to contribute to my country in the best way possible, while supporting Montenegro’s integration into EU society. Furthermore, as I had hoped to improve my international competences, knowledge of EU values, and proficiency in German, I decided to spend the 2019/2020 period at Horn Gymnasium, Austria, where I learnt German, and continued learning Spanish. In my opinion, experiences and the knowledge of languages play valuable roles in getting to know different peoples, cultural habits, and in accepting and respecting diverse ideas, while recognising true values. This school year I’ll be returning to being home-schooled, where I’ll be able to share the experiences I’ve gained with my schoolmates and my local community – inspiring positive social changes in Montenegro, and the region!