Nikola Milinkovic Advocacy for International Student Athletes
Born in Serbia and once an International Student Athlete himself in his college years, Nikola Milinkovic now works for the American Institute For Foreign Study (AIFS) is one of the oldest, largest and most respected cultural exchange organizations in the world, industry leader, has served as a J-1 visa sponsor for six decades.
Prior to his time at AIFS, Milinkovic has served as a performance psychology specialist in the professional sports sector (Women's Tennis Association and the Women's National Basketball Association), focusing on teamwork, culture building and performance. Nikola holds a master's degree in Counseling with a Sport and Performance Psychology focus from Boston University and a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Theater Arts from Clark University.
Nikola Milinkovic has had his fair share of experiences regarding the international student-athlete process, both personally and professionally. Born and raised in Serbia, Milinkovic came to the U.S. to complete his sophomore year of high school but then went back to Europe to finish his junior and senior years in the Netherlands. Soon returned to the U.S. again to go to university from 2002 to 2009, continuing his studies with an OPT (Optional Practical Training) work with an international student-athlete. Also, having played tennis at the collegiate level for the University of Saint Francis III.
Once graduated, he returned to Europe once more in 2019 until ultimately planting his roots in Connecticut.
Milinkovic is now a business partner with AIFS Professional Pathways, which aids students in their international student athlete process.
Milinkovic explained what it takes to go through a process such as this one.
“The J-1 international student-athlete program is designed for university students, master’s, as well as Ph D students… we work with universities outside the U.S. and businesses within the country to sponsor top foreign talent,” explained Milinkovic on what a typical international student-athlete program looks like.
“So there are two parts to it, the host company or the U.S. business that is hosting, let's say, a student, and this has to do with post-secondary education. So, university students or masters or PhD students, the host company would fill out an application with us to talk about what type of training they would receive, what skills they would be learning, how they would be developing, and why they are coming to the U.S. This training that they cannot receive elsewhere, so that's something that we need to prove. They would fill out that application, then the participant would fill out his or her application, which is similar to that, but with more uploading of documents, making sort of like not so much proof of finances, but they do have enough to support themselves if they are on an unpaid internship. All that has to be related to their field of study.”
Having gone through his fair share of the international student-athlete process, Milinkovic explained that, aside from this, he had other struggles regarding his transition to the States as an International student-athlete.
When asked about the initial struggles of culturally adjusting to life within the U.S., Milinkovic explained:
“My initial move to the States was pretty tough, but I made it work. It was just a lot of adjustment, My school wasn't very international; it was mostly local students. Luckily, I can say I'm pretty adaptable in general, and so that helped. I had some great teachers and guidance counselors who were just monitoring behind the scenes, how I was doing, making sure that the teachers knew that I was a new kid there. They were keeping an eye on not only my performance in school but more on how I was being integrated, such as: Am I doing okay with making friends, am I doing okay with trying, trying different things, just being integrated into the culture and the environment?”
In discussing the potential of the International Student policies, Milinkovic accounted for the future of international student-athletes, despite delays being a possibility.
“In 2023, the US government had issued between 300,000 and 500 thousand international student-athlete… we don't suspect that that will be impacted too much with the F international student-athlete with student international student-athlete, so there might be delays in when people get their international student-athlete abroad and then come to the states, such as travel bans, like in 2020. So all those students affected couldn't come back for some time. We'll see what's going to happen with that, but in terms of issuing international student-athletes, I don't suspect it will drop too much. There might be delays in the procedure, but the actual issuance of student international student-athlete, I don't think, will be impacted too badly,” elaborated Milinkovic. “We're waiting to see what's going to happen if the current administration just caps or decreases the amount that's given annually, because there is a period when you apply.”
The uncertainty that surrounds international student-athletes has the potential to affect other students as well, however, like most of the challenges they face surrounding their lifestyles. They understand what it takes to persevere, all while their journeys are showcased on an international stage.