麻豆传媒 (PBA) senior Tin听Vastic听doesn鈥檛听just听know听the phrase 鈥渨ork hard, play hard.鈥� The Outstanding Graduate of the Marshall E. Rinker, Sr. College of Business embodies it every day, from the classroom to the field. In fact, the 24-year-old鈥檚 love for soccer brought him from Croatia to Florida, after being recruited by the PBA Men鈥檚 Soccer team.
鈥淢y time at PBA was amazing,鈥� said听Vastic, who received听the Bill Bennett, Robert Garvey Business, Men’s Soccer, and Provost’s听scholarships听and was named to the President鈥檚 List twice. 鈥淚 came here in 2023 as a freshman from Europe, not knowing anything about life in the U.S. or Florida, and got off to a really good start.鈥�
Getting Plugged In
Though he was far from home,听Vastic听fell right into PBA鈥檚 tight-knit community. In addition to growing as an athlete, he formed friendships on the soccer team and even attended Fellowship for Christian Athlete meetings.
鈥淵ou meet a lot of amazing guys that become family, and that definitely helped me get started in the U.S.,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou meet new people in your classes, you get new teammates each year, and you meet amazing people. That was the most special thing about my time at PBA, including the amazing professors I learned a lot from.鈥�
Off听the field,听Vastic听takes his work just as seriously. He knew he wanted to study finance in college, and since his sophomore year,听he鈥檚听served as a tutor in international economics, statistics, and college algebra.
On campus, he was involved in the Sailfish Fund, the University’s student-managed investment fund that gives PBA students experience navigating today鈥檚 financial landscape, understanding risk management, and ethical stewardship.
Last year, he joined several other peers along with Professor of Finance Dr. Ariel Viale at the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Research Challenge. The annual global equity research competition that gives students hands-on mentoring and training in financial analysis. The PBA team placed fourth.
He also completed summer internships at the high-end 听in Croatia 2024 and 2025. There, local business leaders mentored him and introduced him to the real working world, reinforcing the concepts he learned in the Rinker College of Business.
Building a Circle of Friends听
听As听Vastic听continued to build his friend group at PBA, he noticed just how kind and open many Americans were.
鈥淵ou鈥檒l have a stranger just come up and start speaking to you,鈥� he听shares. 鈥淚 think听it’s听nice, because听you get to know new people. With the soccer team, it was easy to get integrated, because you have a guy听you’ve听never met in your life before听who鈥檚听getting you in the group and taking you places.听That鈥檚听also helped me develop my circle here in the US.鈥�
He also says he was surprised at American coffee culture, seeing people on the go instead of sitting down and enjoying coffee and conversation with others.听It鈥檚听something he misses most about home, as well as seeing his family regularly.
鈥淥bviously, there are times around Christmas or the summer where I’m so ready to go home; I鈥檓 missing my family,鈥澨齭ays听Vastic, one of 208 Rinker College of听Business听grads. 鈥淚’m very thankful for the support of my parents, my brother, and sister.鈥�
Looking Ahead, One Day at a Time
When听Vastic听learned earlier this year that he was named the Outstanding Graduate of the Marshall E. Rinker, Sr. College of Business Graduate, he was听surprised听and grateful.听This prestigious honor is given to听a small number of PBA students who have made significant achievements in academic excellence, student life, and community service.
鈥淚 definitely felt amazing; there are a lot of great students at PBA,鈥� he says.听鈥淭o receive this honor means a lot to me. As an athlete, I always try to be the best I can be at everything I do.听It’s听nice when hard work and commitment听pay听off.鈥�听
After graduation, Tin will continue pursuing higher education. This fall, he plans to attend Boston College to play soccer at the Division I level and earn his master鈥檚 degree in finance. He hopes to pursue a career in corporate finance.
One of his professors, Dr. Claudia Strow, says听Vastic鈥檚听dedication is听evident听in all he does.
鈥淭in stands out as one of the most exceptional students I have encountered,鈥� says Dr. Strow, who has taught economics for 26 years. 鈥淗e combines outstanding intellect, advanced quantitative ability, and strong economic and financial intuition with a genuine commitment to helping others succeed. I have no doubt that Tin will thrive in his future studies and that he will make significant contributions to the field of finance.鈥�
Vastic鈥檚听favorite verse, Hebrews听6:10-11,听perhaps best听encompasses his work ethic:听鈥淕od is听not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized.鈥� (NIV).
鈥淲hat helped me a lot was having a mentality of 鈥榚verything happens for a reason; there is a plan for you,鈥� and when things maybe don’t go the way you want them to go, there is a reason why鈥攁nd it will probably turn out even better than you could have expected.鈥�
听Learn about PBA’s business programs at /academics/schools/rinker-business/.
