ASEF Junior Fellow Maria Futey’s Research Visit and Weaving Two Worlds into One
We are incredibly proud to announce the completion of the research visit for our ASEF Visit Slovenia Junior Fellow, Generation 2025, Maria Futey. In May she earned her undergraduate degree from the University at Buffalo where she studied Applied Physiology and Exercise Science. Her practical experience includes Athletic Training, with a focus on prehabilitation and rehabilitation for sports related injuries, as well as supporting patient recovery in an Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation clinic. She is driven by a passion for patient education and preventive medicine, with the career goal of becoming a Cardiovascular Nurse Practitioner. For her research visit, Maria worked at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana under the mentorship of physiotherapist Maja Marija Potočnik.
In the following, read her portrait.
An ASEF Fellow’s Perspective: ASEF gave me a new group of really good friends
Maria Futey’s story is a beautiful tapestry woven from two distinct worlds: her American upbringing in Cleveland, Ohio, and her deep-rooted Slovenian heritage. ” knew that every Sunday I was going to church at St. Vitus and then Saturdays were always for Slovenian school,” Maria recalls of her childhood. This constant immersion in the Slovenian community, which included summers at Slovenska Pristava, gave her a core group of friends with whom she shared a fundamental bond. “It gave me this group of friends that I was able to bond with so quickly because we had something so easy to bond over, like where our grandparents came from.”
A Legacy of Love and Culture
Maria’s journey is profoundly inspired by her grandparents, Mimi and Vinko, who are the pillars of her Slovenian identity. They instilled in her a deep connection to her roots, making Slovenia a place of cherished memories long before she ever set foot there.
My grandparents are probably the biggest inspiration for everything I do.
Some of her most treasured memories are of her grandmother teaching her to make traditional foods like potica and štrudelj. Yet, it was the stories her grandmother told that truly brought Slovenia to life.
As I was falling asleep, I’d ask her just to tell me some stories from her childhood… and she’d go into the big white church that they’d go to on weekends and how they’d cook together… So I think hearing that it really just made Slovenia that much more dreamy for me, like I knew that it was a place I needed to go to.
Her first-ever visit to Slovenia through the ASEF fellowship was, therefore, not just a trip but a pilgrimage to the places of her family’s stories.
A Career Built on Compassion
Maria’s commitment to healthcare is rooted in her belief that “everyone deserves a chance to live a healthy life.” She is currently gaining hands-on experience at a cardiac rehabilitation facility with University Hospitals, an experience that has solidified her career path. Witnessing patients’ progress and recovery firsthand has been incredibly rewarding.
“Seeing the growth and the progress and how much they learned through that time and really just how much they appreciated it, that really solidified I was like, I’m chasing the right path,” she explains. This dedication to helping others is what fuels her ambition to become a Cardiovascular Nurse Practitioner, a role in which she can combine her knowledge of exercise science with a passion for direct patient care.
Besides working at University Medical Centre Ljubljana, Maria also engaged in various ASEF activities such as the ASEF Weekend Getaway.
Exploring Slovenia and Broadening Horizons
Our weekends were spent exploring as much of Slovenia as we possibly could. From the mountains to the coast and everything in between, we would hop on a bus early in the morning and not return to Ljubljana until late in the evening. Some of my favorite weekend excursions were a day trip to Bohinj, rafting on the Soča, and going to a few gasilska veselica.
The ASEF fellowship has provided Maria with a unique opportunity to expand her professional perspective globally. While exploring the differences between Slovenia’s universal healthcare system and the private-dominant model in the U.S., she was particularly impressed by the quality of care.
The standard of the patient care and the time spent with the patients is the same or maybe even better here.
This experience has inspired her to bring back insights on clear communication and patient education to her future practice in the U.S. Maria was also captivated by the country itself. She initially planned to travel outside of Slovenia on weekends but quickly changed her mind.
I want to stay here. I want to spend as much time here as I can, just because there’s so, so much to see.
Maria reveled in exploring diverse landscapes, from the coast to the mountains, and appreciated the warm hospitality, especially during a trip to Slovenske Konjice where the family of a friend Miha she met in the student dorms welcomed her and some other ASEF Visit Slovenia 2025 Junior Fellows with open arms and homemade food.
It was really special – meeting someone from Slovenia who was so generous and wanted to show us as much of the country as he could. The first day trip we went on was to his hometown in Slovenske Konjice. When we arrived, his mom had prepared this amazing lunch for us. She made solata, pražen krompir, meat, and even veggie nuggets because she knew I was a vegetarian. We also had potica. We were immediately welcomed into their home with open arms, which was the sweetest thing ever. It also reminded me of my own grandparents, which was a really cool connection.
She added, “It was incredible because we got to see so many parts of Slovenia that we wouldn’t otherwise have gotten to see. Another one of my favorite memories was when he took us to Rogla for mushroom picking.”
For Maria, the experience has not only been a professional one but a deeply personal one. She plans to share her journey with friends and family back home by making playlists of Slovenian songs, cooking traditional dishes like goveja juha (beef soup) and pražen krompir (sautéed potatoes), and simply sharing the beauty and culture she discovered.
When asked of her favorite Slovenian word, she smiles and says pekarna, a testament to her love for the local bakeries.
Maria’s advice to anyone considering the ASEF fellowship is simple yet powerful.
If you’re thinking about it, definitely do it. The experience will be exactly what you make it. In the 10-weeks I spent in Slovenia I was able to grow both personally and professionally. I have no doubt that I will return to visit Slovenia as soon as I am able to. This experience has made the opportunity to one day return to work and stay in Slovenia a very real possibility.
We also thank the Government Office for Slovenians Abroad and all ASEF donors for supporting the work of ASEF and our Junior Fellows.
Maria’s Note
This music became the soundtrack to shared moments with the other fellows on road trips, while cooking together, or simply playing in the background when we enjoyed an evening picnic in Tivoli. Whenever I listen to this music, I know I’ll be reminded of a summer spent surrounded by incredible people in a place that truly felt like home!
- Sam da ti maš mene rada – Jan Plestenjak
- Čas – Dan D
- Nisem več s tabo – Big Foot Mama
- Celi ulica nori – Kingston
- Siva pot – Aleksander Mezek
- Pojdi z menoj v toplice – Mi2
- Soba 102 – Jan Plestenjak
- Slovenija, od kod lepote tvoje – Ansambel bratov Avsenik
- Na Soncu – Siddharta
- Ljubca moja – Brendi
- V dolini tihi – Ansambel Lojzeta Slaka
- Če mam pa tebe – Dejan Vunjak
- Prijatelji, ostanimo prijatelji – Ansambel bratov Avsenik
- Ne bom pozabil na stare čase – Faraoni
- Metulj – Šank Rock
- Carpe Diem – Joker Out