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Pictured: Fungai Tongoona (left) and Reka Czuth (right) shared their experiences as current/former Nebraska student-athletes with incoming international student-athletes during the International Student-Athlete Welcome.
On Thursday, August 25th, Life Skills hosted an International Student-Athlete Welcome for incoming international student-athletes, as a part of diversity and inclusion initiatives within Nebraska Athletics.
The first six weeks of college are critical for freshmen. During this period of time, students are expected to make difficult academic and social transitions. Consider the challenge of this transition as a Division I student-athlete with a limited mastery of the English language.
Reka Czuth, a member of the track and field team from Pecs, Hungary, shared her experience with this very challenge and offered a detailed account of how she was able to overcome language barriers and homesickness. Czuth has excelled at Nebraska, earning USTFCCCA All-America First Team (High Hump - 2016 Outdoor) and Second Team Honors (High Jump - 2016 Indoor) and Academic All-Big Ten Honors as a sophomore.
Fungai Tongoona, Assistant Men’s Tennis Coach and Nebraska letterwinner, served in two capacities. First, as a panelist discussing his journey as a student-athlete from Zimbabwe transitioning into American culture back in the early 2000’s, and secondly as the assistant coach for an international student-athlete from Croatia. Tongoona also talked about coming to terms with a new worldview in the US culture.
Overall, it seems the international student-athletes who participated in the welcome event left with an increased awareness of coping with the unique transition into college and a better understanding of the resources available in the athletic department and on campus.
Husker Women’s Golf Coach Robin Krapfl agreed: “I really enjoyed the program, and after visiting with both Claire Robertson from Scotland and Annie Sritagul from Thailand, I felt relieved knowing their concerns were shared by others and support is in place to help them transition and acclimate.”