This summer, Colorado College students Zeke Llyod ’24 and Michael Braithwaite ’24, with funding provided by a CC Venture Grant and the Sheffer Fund for Catholic Studies, spent a month travelling around central Europe reporting on the Ukrainian refugee crisis. They visited Germany, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland, and reported back through stories published in the Colorado Springs and Denver Gazettes. Along the way, Llyod kept us updated on their travels and experiences.

Post #2

We arrived in Sombor, Serbia in the early hours of Friday morning, fresh off a busy night working on our first article for The Gazette. 

Our editor sent us from Slovakia to Sombor to report on the homecoming of Nikola Jokic, the Denver Nuggets center who recently won the NBA Championship. Over the next few days, we would follow leads throughout the city and talk to passers-by on the street about what the superstar meant to them.

Although weary, we immediately began familiarizing ourselves with the new surroundings. We pinpointed potential locations of interest, such as his elementary school, his local gym, and the ranch where his family breeds racehorses.

Sunday’s horse race at the hippodrome was Jokic’s first appearance in Sombor since the championship. The stadium was filled with people packed together underneath the blazing summer sun. After several days learning about his hometown, we were eager to finally see the man himself.

When Jokic walked in, applause erupted from the crowd. Spectators surged to get photos with him, some carrying basketballs for him to sign.

We left Sombor the next morning with a good story and a better understanding of the place and its people.