ASEF Junior Fellow Janko Kalan Concludes Research Visit at UKC Ljubljana

Another one of the ASEF Junior Fellows generation 2024 has just successfully completed his research visit in Slovenia! We sincerely congratulate Janko Kalan, a senior undergraduate at Pittsburg State University, who just concluded his research visit under the mentorship of Maja Marija Potočnik at UKC Ljubljana.

Janko Kalan is majoring in exercise science with a clinical/pre-professional emphasis and aspires to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy. During his time at UKC Ljubljana, he was able to visit many different departments including cardiology, orthopedics, neurology, and sports medicine. His experience in these departments expanded to both in-patient and out-patient care and assisted him in grasping the full responsibilities of a physical therapist.

In describing his time at UKC Ljubljana, Janko emphasized the abundance of new knowledge he received from other medical professionals:

“I enjoyed learning from the physical therapists as they have taught me many different techniques that I hope to use in my career as a physical therapist.”

In addition to expanding his academic knowledge and professional skills in the field of physical therapy, Janko began his journey with hopes of digging deeper into his family history and making connections with others of Slovenian heritage. Following the successful conclusion of his stay, we can say his aspirations have been fully realized. Besides expanding the knowledge that will help him prepare for graduate school, Janko spent his free time exploring Slovenia with other Junior Fellows and hiking in the mountains.

He expressed profound gratitude towards his informative experience with his mentor, the placement at UKC Ljubljana and the overall experience with the ASEF Visit Slovenia program:

“Being a part of ASEF has allowed me to get closer to my educational and career goals as well as meet other students from around the world who have similar goals as myself. Over the summer, me and the other fellows have become good friends and we have shared many great moments together. Having the ability to develop my education in the country from which my family comes has truly been a blessing and for this I am thankful!”

We are delighted to hear of Janko’s productive time here and his overall rewarding experience as an ASEF Junior Fellow. We wish him the best of luck with his future studies and professional endeavors!

We thank the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad and all ASEF donors for supporting the work of ASEF and our Junior Fellows.