From Slovakia to Las Vegas: One GBC Student's Journey

Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu offers this insight in his ancient proverb, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

For musician, educator, and former GBC student Jozef Bobula, there were cross-Atlantic and cross-country flights mixed in with those many steps.

Growing up in Slovakia, Jozef's life was supposed to be very different. "I was going to be a car mechanic, even got my 5-year engineering degree but the cheerfulness and playing bass guitar kept creeping in and all I wanted to do was music," said Bobula.

Those first few steps. The journey would grow a whole lot longer.

Jozef came to the United States, in the summer of 1999, to perform at a jazz festival in Dallas, Texas. He made the decision to stay in the US and study jazz music. He earned his undergraduate jazz performance degree at Texas Wesleyan in 2004 and his masters jazz performance degree at University of Texas at Arlington in 2007. Taking yet another step, he moved to Las Vegas in late 2007 and has lived there ever since.

Then the journey, like all our journeys, came to a near-stop. Why? The Covid-19 Pandemic.

For over two decades Mr. Bobula has been teaching music privately. Teaching has always come easy for Jozef. "I've never had trouble communicating with people, so when I was looking at various careers after Covid, teaching just made sense, even though licensing was necessary."

That's when his journey brought him to Great Basin College.

While attending a job fair in Las Vegas for the Clark County School District, he learned GBC was the only college in Nevada that offered an Alternative Route to Licensure Program (ARL) for music. More a leap than a step, he reached out to the college and was first introduced to Secondary Education Professor Brian Zeiszler. "Love that guy," said Jozef. Then Denise Padilla, Elementary Education Program Supervisor, was added to the team. "Denise should get a medal for everything she does," he commented.

There was a bump in the road. Jozef wanted to teach primary rather than secondary schools and GBC's ARL was designed for secondary. They added a new member to the team in Education Professor Michelle Beecher. "After I switched from secondary to primary ARL, Michelle helped coordinate my student teaching placement." The three GBC professors helped Jozef identify the courses that GBC could offer, additional schools where the primary courses he needed were offered and assisted him in developing a plan to make his dream come true in the shortest amount of time.

Talk about steps.

"All the teachers I took online classes with at GBC were just awesome and always understanding of my unique situation," shared Mr. Bobula. "GBC has a family feel. Everything feels much more personal and warmer. Professors know and remember your name and will always help you."

"What a journey and it isn't even over."

Fast forward to present. Mr. Jozef Bobula, licensed elementary school teacher, is weighing his school options and applying. He desires to work at a school close to his home to limit the amount of driving time and making sure he can still make his musical gigs. Gigs? Yes, gigs. Oh, did we mention, that not quite two years ago, he auditioned and was welcomed into one of the most beloved and popular performance groups in Las Vegas history?

"Well, every night, I come in, I put on a costume with hot pink stripes all over it, then I paint my face with special yellow paint," said Jozef. He continued, "Then I go up to the loft above the stage and shred on instruments invented just for the show in ways you would not believe while glowing under the black light."

Our friend Jozef is a member of the Las Vegas troupe of the world renown Blue Man Group. Now that is an interesting step. Mr. Bobula says, "It's physical, it's musical, it's hilarious, it's interactive, and it's loud. It's all a middle-aged man needs to feel like a teenager again."

In talks with Jozef, it is very apparent that he has a big heart. A heart filled with desire to bring the gift of music, possibly a lifelong love affair with music, to our young people. I have no doubt that he will do just that in all the steps to come in his journey.

Lao Tzu teaches that even the longest and most daunting tasks can be achieved by breaking them down into smaller, manageable actions and taking that crucial first step. "The attention and care I have received at GBC during my 2.5 years from all the professors and advisors and even all the administrative staff was absolutely amazing." We are convinced that Jozef and his team at Great Basin College have certainly made Lao proud.

And as Jozef loves to sign off, "More Bass, always more Bass."

For More Information Contact

Great Basin College
1500 College Parkway
Elko, Nevada 89801

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Why Great Basin College

Great Basin College offers associate and baccalaureate level education in academic, career and technical fields. Welcoming students from all corners of the country, both online and at our various campuses and centers, GBC's presence extends across two time zones and spans more than 86,000 square miles throughout Nevada. A leader in rural higher education, GBC takes pride in developing students who are well-prepared to meet the demands of industry and who contribute to the success and prosperity of the local economy.