Nina Halić: Student athlete in the Economist programme

Nina Halić is a student of the Economics – Accounting module. She has been playing volleyball since she was 11 years old, today she is a volleyball player in the volleyball club Turbina in the second strongest Slovenian league, the 1B State Volleyball League.

Nina has been interested in volleyball since she was a child. She especially liked the way it was coached and the fact that it is a team sport, dynamic and offers a lot of tactical opportunities. She was inspired by the Japanese cartoon Mila & Shiro.

In her early years of playing volleyball, Nina was called up for selection for the youth national team, but injuries prevented her from competing in the national team itself. It was a series of injuries and a long absence abroad that prevented Nina from achieving as much as she could have.

What does your normal working day look like?

“A normal working day is from 8:00 to 16:00. After work, I have a few hours to do chores around the house, then I have a training session with the team. This season is even busier as we have a much increased number of matches during the week, added to the weekend matches.  This is a familiar pace for professional players, and I have had to adjust my schedule quite well at times. On top of all the matches and training, I also do extra administrative work a couple of times a week as a self-employed person with a registered supplementary activity, so sometimes my daily schedule is filled to the brim.”

Why did you choose this programme and school?

“I work in finance in a fast-growing company with a lot of work related to accounting. I wanted to build on the knowledge I already had on the job, but as I said before, I didn’t have a lot of time. I chose your school because, despite the many activities I have to do during the week, I manage to complete all of them with the help of both the lecturers and the school staff. It is also very convenient to be able to see the past lectures, which I have not been able to attend in person because of work.”

How do you balance your sport and study commitments?

“It’s quite a rhythm at the moment, but thanks to the programme itself, the availability of the lecturers and the whole staff of the Academia, I still manage to balance all my school, work and sport commitments.”

She believes that an athlete’s advantage in his studies is his drive and “discipline” to learn. To perform under the most pressure, because that’s what you’re used to from the sport you’re training for. She believes this is a result of the faster pace you have as an athlete. Balancing training and lecture schedules with other commitments also contributes a lot to organisational skills.

Nina wants to continue her studies in accounting and build on her skills at work, but she also has the intention to continue training and playing in a volleyball league for a few more years.

She advises Academia students that even if they ever find themselves unmotivated due to maintaining a fast pace or busy schedules, not to procrastinate. Get out in the fresh air, get some exercise and you’ll have more energy and take care of your health.

Based on the findings of the Expert Group of the Athlete-Friendly Education Certificate, the Executive Committee of the Olympic Committee of Slovenia – Association of Sports Federations (OCS-SF) approved Academia, College of Short-Cycle Higher Education Maribor for the award of the certificate for its developed approach to promoting dual careers and providing Athlete-Friendly Education.

The decision was approved at the 23rd Ordinary Session of the OKS-ŠZ Executive Board on 18 January 2022 on the proposal of the Expert Group of the Athlete-Friendly Education Certificate and the Professional Council for Top Sport.

By receiving the certificate, Academia demonstrates that it meets the conditions for a developed approach to promoting dual careers and providing athlete-friendly education.