Sophomore Stefani Atanasovska, a new student this year, is optimistic about her future in America after moving here from a very different life in Macedonia this August.

She moved to Boyertown with her mother this past summer. While her favorite subject at the moment is English, her future plans include going into the medical field.

“I’d really like to be a nurse or a nurse practitioner because I like helping people. The feeling that I can do something for someone that will make their life better just makes me happy,” she said, “It’s something that I really want to do and I’m trying to work hard.”

Stefani comes from Macedonia, which is a smaller slavic country in the Balkans of Eastern Europe and is located directly North of Greece.  However, life in America is very different from what she is used to.

“You go to school from 8:00 to 1:30, then after that you usually have some activities or finish your homework, and then just hang out with friends,” she said. “Here, you go to school from 7:40 to 3:00, and it really makes a difference.”

Coming from the capital city of Macedonia, Skopje, Stefani is also used to a very different way of getting around.

“Something that really bothers me here is that there is no public transportation. In Macedonia you have public buses that run every five minutes and you can get from one side of the city to the other for 70 cents,” she said, “Here in America, you’ll get hit by a car.”

Stefani used to like to spend her free time in center city Skopje, walking around the park, and seeing all the visiting tourists.

“I was happy when I saw how happy they were to be in Macedonia, and how different it was from their country because that’s what I’m experiencing now. I know how exciting that is.”

Stefani says her reasons for moving here with her mother is personal. She did have the chance to visit the United States this summer before finally immigrating here in August.

“I know people that have graduated from Boyertown, and they are very satisfied with the education here,” said Stefani, “At first I was very sad, but then I started making friends here and realized I was enjoying it.”

So far she has gotten to visit many cities, such as Washington D.C., New York, Philadelphia, Orlando, and Atlantic City.

“I really like the big cities, it’s just breathtaking,” said Stefani.

Despite moving away from her home, Stefani still loves to have fun and express her colorful personality. Her favorite book is Divergent, which has a daring female protagonist, a fitting choice for someone who likes extreme sports. She even used to belong to a Handball club back in Macedonia.

“This year I went rock climbing in Tennessee which was really fun. Now, I’m planning on going bungee jumping, which my mom is not really happy about.”

If Stefani could have one superpower, she says, it would be reading people’s’ minds.

“I’ve always wanted everyone to be honest with me and with that power I would be able to see if someone is telling me the truth or he is not being honest,” she said.

Also, like many, Stefani has her own fears as well. “I’m scared of many things but one of my biggest fears is losing people in my life. Because once I get used to someone, I don’t want them to leave or go away,” she said.

Besides coming from a different country, Stefani seems to have lots in common with American teenagers. However, she still has left much behind in Macedonia.

“I miss my family and my friends. I had to take a big step, moving to America, and just had to leave all my friends and families there and come to this new environment,” she said.

On the other hand, Stefani is very optimistic, and believes moving to America was the right decision for her.

“I’m just making my life easier. My friends and family back home are not going to find a job” stated Stefani, “I need to fight for my future.”