Hall of Fame
Long-time RVC tennis coach Steve Vee praised Natasha as the “best women’s doubles player RVC has ever had.”
Natasha came to the United States as a refugee from Croatia in 1996 at the age of 12. She did not speak any English when she arrived.
“I faced many challenges adjusting to my new life, but the one thing that I learned from everything that I have been though in life is that with hard work and persistence anything is possible” says Natasha. “My parents worked so hard to make sure that my brother and I would have a good life.”
Natasha graduated from Guilford High School in 2003 and began attending Rock Valley College that same year. As a freshman in 2004, she was a national champion in #1 doubles and national runner-up in #2 singles, earning NJCAA All-American honors. She also excelled in the classroom, earning a spot on the 2004 NJCAA All-Academic Team.
For an encore, as a sophomore in 2005, Natasha was again named an NJCAA All-American and repeated as a national champion in #1 doubles. That year she became the first player in NJCAA Division III history to win the Arthur Ashe, Jr. Award for Leadership and Sportsmanship. The award recognizes college athletes who excel on and off the court and who exhibit courage in overcoming obstacles while demonstrating the highest level of sportsmanship.
For her two-year career at RVC, Natasha finished a perfect 29-0 in #1 doubles and 25-6 as a singles player. In 2010, she was inducted into the NJCAA Region IV Women’s Tennis Hall of Fame.
She graduated from the nursing program at RVC and went on to earn her BSN from Chamberlain College of Nursing in 2015, finishing the program with a 4.0 grade point average. Natasha started her nursing career working at Wesley Willows Nursing Home as an LPN while she completed the RN program at RVC, and then later transitioned to a hospital environment and started working at OSF Saint Anthony Medical Center. She currently works full time for DaVita Rock River Acutes as a dialysis RN and as needed at OSF.
On her induction, Natasha said, “I feel honored. It’s a dream come true. Along the way I have met so many great people who have influenced me in the right direction. One of those people is Coach Vee. I had some many great experiences at Rock Valley College; this college helped me build my own foundation and start my career. RVC has one of the best nursing and sport programs in the area.”
