Our scholarship recipient Jovan has enrolled in the Music Academy.

Jovan Stojković from Parteš is one of the first scholarship recipients of the Humanitarian Organization “Kosovsko Pomoravlje.” Our organization supported him with a scholarship for four years while he attended both high school and music school in Vranje.

After years of hard work, daily practice and competitions, Jovan has achieved a great success. He was admitted to the Music Academy in Niš as one of just three students accepted into his professor’s class.

We spoke with Jovan about leaving home, life in a student dormitory, Draganac Monastery, the importance of his scholarship and his wish to one day help talented children from Kosovo and Metohija.

Leaving Home and Starting Life in a New City

Jovan, right after finishing elementary school, you enrolled in both music school and high school in Vranje. You spent four years living in a student dormitory. What was the hardest part at the beginning?

Every beginning is difficult. I had to get to know the city and adjust to attending two schools in different shifts. The environment was quite different, and it took me some time to adapt to life in the city because we are not used to that kind of lifestyle in Kosovo.

Still, the hardest part was practicing for several hours every day, followed by studying theory and all the other subjects. Every year, I had between 18 and 20 different subjects. It wasn’t easy to learn everything, prepare for tests and classes, and practice the accordion regularly at the same time. Somehow, though, I always managed to keep up, and in the end, I was happy with my grades.

While Others Were Out, Jovan Was Practicing

How much work and sacrifice did it take to achieve excellent results in both schools?

Practicing the accordion is not easy at all. You can’t practice today and tomorrow and then leave the instrument untouched for three days. In that case, much of the time you invested before is almost wasted. That’s why it required a lot of sacrifice. I had to practice every single day.

While others were playing football or walking around the city, I was playing the accordion. Still, with good time management, you can achieve everything — spending time with friends, going out and getting good grades. You just have to put in a little more effort.

“Without the Monastery, There Would Be No Us”

You often performed at Draganac Monastery on weekends, where the entire Stojković family works and helps every day, both on the monastery farm and in the guesthouse. What role has the monastery played in your upbringing and musical journey?

Without the monastery, there would be no us. The monastery’s support and help have been with our family since we were children. Thanks to the monastery, “The Stojković Brothers” came to be, and people heard about us. The brotherhood also helped us when we were buying an accordion by finding donors who were willing to support us.

What meant the most to me was the emotional support, wise advice and help with preparing for my university entrance exams. Our very first performance was at Draganac Monastery, thanks to Bishop Ilarion and the monastery brotherhood. After that, many people heard about us, and we began performing at concerts, most of which were organized for charitable causes.

What a Person from Kosovo Carries into the World

Thanks to the connections you made through the monastery, you and your brother have traveled throughout Serbia and abroad. What should a person carry with them from their homeland?

It is very important to carry with you the values you were raised with at home and the way of life you grew up with. Many people change when they move somewhere far away, but to me, culture and heritage are the treasures of a people, and they should not be changed. We have nothing to be ashamed of.

We were born in Kosovo, and that is something we should be proud of.

It is also important to show people that they should not be afraid to come to Kosovo, visit the monasteries or come to our communities. It means much more to us when someone comes, sees how we live and gets to know this part of the world than almost anything else.

Getting into the Academy Is Just One Victory

You have won numerous awards, achieved excellent academic results and have now been admitted to the Music Academy in Niš. How much of what you have set out to achieve has come true so far?

My personal goals are much bigger, so I can say that getting into the Academy is just another victory on the road toward achieving them. Family support is extremely important in everything a person does. Without support, it is much harder to accomplish anything.

The people around you who believe in your success are also important. Their support and goodwill can help you reach your goals.

Jovan Stojković, Scholarship Recipient of the Humanitarian Organization “Kosovsko Pomoravlje”

You are one of the first scholarship recipients of our organization. How much did the scholarship mean to you during your education?

I was a scholarship recipient of the Humanitarian Organization “Kosovsko Pomoravlje” for four years, and that support helped me greatly financially. Traveling to Niš for preparations and attending competitions would have been almost impossible without this kind of assistance. Beyond the financial support, what also matters is the goodwill, understanding and the feeling that someone is following your work and genuinely wants you to succeed.

Supporting Young Talents from Kosovo and Metohija

How should organizations support young people from Kosovo and Metohija?

I think organizations should focus more on the kind of work that the Humanitarian Organization “Kosovsko Pomoravlje” is doing. It is important to identify young talents, whether through sports clubs, music schools or other activities, and then support them as they continue to develop. It is also important to connect young people with those who can help them. In that way, something that may seem impossible can become possible.

A Wish to Help Children from His Homeland

What would you like to do one day for your hometown and for the children growing up in Kosovo and Metohija?

I would like to help renovate the music school one day, purchase new instruments and give children the opportunity to attend masterclasses with leading professors from Serbia and Europe. Such professors can recognize talent and help turn a child into a great musician. Maybe all of this sounds impossible, but it really isn’t. With the right connections, determination and support, some of these things could actually be made possible today.

I hope that one day this will become a reality and that young talents from Kosovo and Metohija will have a clearer, easier and better path ahead of them.

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