By Joey Tholl 

When describing Mina Kostic as a close friend and fellow volleyball teammate Isabella Paz seemingly imagined a galaxy. 

“I would describe Mina as a mix of dark purple with glitter, and baby pink and blue. It’s a mix, she can be them all at the same time,” Paz said,  describing what each color represented. “Mina can be honest, and she has no filter for the truth, represented by the dark purple. She is also light blue and pink, because she is the sweetest girl. She has the sweetest heart.” 

Kostic is a second-year Serbian exchange student and member of the Casper College volleyball team, majoring in general studies. Before graduating from a Serbian high school in 2024, Mina and her family shared the vision of her playing volleyball and studying in the United States. Then, she joined a new volleyball club in Serbia and ended up losing her love for volleyball.  Kostic said, “I just started to be depressed. I didn’t like it over there. Basically two years, and I was like ‘Why am I wasting my time and everything.’” 

While navigating this struggle, reality shifted for Mina and her family. 

“While all that was happening, my mom was so sick. She had brain cancer that she was fighting for like five years. It was October 2023, and she passed away.” 

Left with a hole in her heart, Mina needed to find a way to keep her light shining. 

“After that, my dad and I basically were sitting like, ‘What are we gonna do? What’s going to be best for me?’” Kostic explained. “We were like okay, I can just start playing volleyball again, and see if I like it a little bit. [We talked] about me going to the U.S. to play volleyball and study.” Kostic submitted her volleyball highlight reel to an agency and said they really did all the work of getting her matched. With over 30 offers, Kostic said she then faced the task of deciding where to go. She narrowed down her offers to two schools but ended up choosing CC because of a conversation CC Head Volleyball Coach Angel Sharman shared with Kostic’s dad.  

“They had a talk, and my dad was like, ‘It’s your decision, but I would prefer you go to Casper 

College because the coach said you will be a part of the family, and I won’t have to worry.” Kostic cites the hardships of her first year adjusting to life in a small town in a new country with a different language. She found herself questioning if she was on the right track, but she persevered and decided to finish out her last year and earn her associate’s degree.  

“This year was actually so good. School, friends, and the volleyball team did well too. We went to nationals, and that was good except for driving to Tennessee for 20 hours.”  

Even through some of her darkest nights, Kostic let her light shine and made others’ paths brighter. Through the simple act of getting coffee, Mina and Isabella were able to build a close connection that enriched both of their lives in their time at CC. Through laughter, Paz shared how the friendship started, 

“We started hanging out because we both love 7Brew. We would just go so often that it became a friendship. We started doing reviews and keeping it in her phone.” 

Kostic’s cousin from Serbia, Vladana Ristić, who plays volleyball at Eastern Wyoming College, reflected on a time when Mina truly showed up for her, despite being 146 miles away and without a car.  

“Before Christmas break, she asked her friends to drop her off here to spend some time with me. When she loves people, she shows that she loves them through action,” Ristić said. Kostic will head to Saint Leo University in Saint Leo, Florida, in the fall of 2026 to finish her volleyball career and bachelor’s degree. While she couldn’t decide on a dream job, she shared her motivating factor. 

She said, “I just want to have a better future for myself and make it easier for myself.”