After a four-year-long stretch at La Salle, senior Nikola Jelusic is headed to Linfield University where he plans to study marketing in the School of Business and swim on the Division III swim team. 

Growing up in Oregon, he attended Christ the King Catholic School, so planning to stay close to home for college was second nature. 

This year he is taking AP Government and Economics and AP English 4 and has learned that the easiest way to balance his homework load is being on top of all of his work right as it’s assigned. “Definitely don’t procrastinate,” he said. “I made that mistake first semester freshman year and got some pretty wacky grades.”

His favorite course, however, is Anatomy and Physiology. Even though science has never been his strong suit, he finds this course interesting and enjoys learning about anatomy because of all the depth and layers to it. He has always been interested in the physiology of the human body.

Outside of school, Jelusic is an avid swimmer at Lake Oswego Swim Club where he swims every day after school. Swimming has taken over his life for seven years now. “Honestly, I just like being in the water, it just feels fun for me,” he said. “It’s just really comfortable [in] the water.”

Jelusic also had a very successful swim career on the La Salle swim team where he earned a varsity letter every year as well as led the Falcons to state on numerous occasions. His key to success is showing up every day because how hard you try one day won’t matter if you don’t try harder the next. “Stay consistent,” he said. “Consistency is key.”

Managing athletics and academics is something Jelusic has had to learn to balance because they take over much of his life.

For a year and a half now, he has worked at North Clackamas Aquatic Park as a lifeguard, swim instructor, head guard, and shift coordinator, and he believes the workplace is a great environment. 

Outside of academics, sports, and his job, Jelusic finds his own time to skateboard, take a walk, or ride his bike. He likes to stay active and outdoors with his friends. 

As far as the future goes, after college, Jelusic hopes to move out of Oregon, to Croatia — where his family is originally from — or Spain. 

His biggest supporters and inspiration would be his parents. “After moving here, to America, all that they did, all that they went through, all that they kind of pushed through every day just to provide for me and my brother,” he said.

Reflecting on his high school experience which was interrupted by the pandemic early on, Jelusic encourages younger students to not take a day for granted because before you know it, high school will be over and it will be time to move on to the next step in life. 

“Live in the moment just so the good times don’t pass,” he said.