Mario Mihelcic
Mario Mihelcic has never been afraid to throw himself into new projects or situations. While interning with the Croatian National Television-Radio network in 1998, he decided the best way to see the country would be on foot, so he walked from his grandparents home in Ravna Gora to the Adriatic Sea, covering sixty miles in a single day. And the next adventure he has in mind involves trekking from the U.S. border with Mexico all the way to the Panama Canal, then catching a ship back home. "Walking is the best way to connect with people in a different country," says the 29-year-old who lives in San Mateo, California. "It guarantees a more realistic experience." But Mihelcic is making connections in a different way for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of San Mateo County. As a development assistant, he is part of a team that writes grant applications to fund eviction-prevention programs and other forms of emergency assistance. "I don’t think the public realizes how many poor people are living on the margins in Silicon Valley," he says. "I view this job as a ministry." At SCU, Mihelcic studied journalism and founded KSCU News, an award winning student radio program broadcast on the University’s FM station. He considers that experience integral to his current work. "When I write a grant proposal, I’m trying to tell the stories of people who aren’t always heard in our society," he explains. "I think that’s the same basic thing that good journalism tries to do." |
E-mail this page