Summer isn’t downtime — it’s game time.
Though their Ivy League schedules are done for the season, Penn’s international student-athletes are making the most of their break from classes. For freshman tennis player Lara Stojanovski, sophomore squash player Salman Khalil, and freshman heavyweight rower Leo Goez, this next season is prime time to further their training, gameplay, and personal development as they return to their home countries.
For Stojanovski, summer is all about striking the right balance between competition and recovery. Though her calendar is filling up with tennis tournaments, she has been intentional with her other commitments. The timeline for securing internships is much later in Serbia, so she portions her time between conditioning, applications, and reconnecting.
“I have a bunch of tournaments coming up in cities that I have really good friends in,” Stojanovski said. “So I could kind of get both a social life … and then also competing.”
Returning to Serbia also means returning to clay courts. Compared to the hard courts she’s grown accustomed to at Penn this past year, clay creates a different rotation of the ball and allows players to slide.
With changes like these, Stojanovski has to manage different playing styles depending on her location.
“If my coach tells me one thing here, I kind of take it with a grain of salt when I’m back home because it’s completely different,” Stojanovski said.
Summer time will also mark a period of intense training for Khalil, who recently won the College Squash Association individual championship. After coming to Penn from Cairo, Egypt, Khalil initially planned on majoring in computer science. However, after unexpected success during his freshman season, he made the bold decision to leave it all on the court.
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"During the last summer, I decided that I’m gonna give it a shot and go pro after college,” said Khalil.
Since this pivot, Khalil has put squash at the center of his life. Bouncing from STEM to the humanities, he picked up political science as his new major since he considers it less time-intensive than his previous computer science coursework.
This summer, Khalil is investing every minute in squash. After finals, he will compete in three tournaments in the United States before returning to Egypt to practice for the remainder of the break.
“Training back home for me is more convenient,” Khalil said. “I think I improved there more, so I just go back there during my holidays and time off school to train.”
As Goez heads back to Berlin, Germany, he’s working toward a clear mission in front of him: investing in his future, both in and out of the water. Being immersed in the Quaker rowing community has shaped his approach to his pursuits, as he enjoys having dozens of teammates, but he also recognizes the importance of branching out.
“It’s important to build the connection outside of the team,” said Goez. “I always try to focus on making friends outside of rowing.”
With a plan to study finance in Wharton, his aptitude for networking has paid off for the coming months. He didn’t just land an internship — he created an opportunity for himself. Despite being a freshman, he applied for a full-time position at a real estate equity firm in Berlin, got interviewed, and ultimately received a customized internship offer.
“I’m a numbers guy,” Goez said. “I feel like learning freshman year about how a company is run … could be a good path to start with.”
As he trades oars for spreadsheets, he’s using his athletic discipline in a different setting to build his professional skills. Despite this new commitment, he looks forward to reuniting with his family and friends back at home.
As the final whistle blows on this academic year, the Red and Blue’s international student-athletes aren’t just heading home, they’re leveling up. Though they’re splitting time across continents, the grind doesn’t stop — it merely shifts. These athletes are making sure that summertime is time well spent.
