International Students’ Day, held annually on Nov. 17, allows students worldwide to celebrate their nationalities and multiculturalism.

Two Texas track student-athletes, junior Kristīne Blaževiča from Latvia and junior Rhasidat Adeleke from Ireland, said they love the opportunity to represent their countries and bring their experience and unique diversity to Texas’ team.

Blaževiča’s move from Riga, Latvia, to Austin took her across the world, but she said she relishes every chance she gets to represent Latvia away from home. 

“I’m proud to be Latvian. It’s a very small country and not a lot of people know about it, so every time I have an opportunity to speak to the world and share about my country, I try to do that,” Blaževiča said. “Representing Texas as an international student is an honor.”

Blaževiča moved to the United States as an international student to continue advancing her education and athletic career. Being a collegiate athlete is a privilege that Blaževiča said she sincerely appreciates.

“Back home, it’s almost impossible to combine college and athletics because we don’t have such a thing as collegiate athletics,” Blaževiča said. “Here, I find it amazing how we can balance academics and athletics.”

Finding that place where she could relish in both her academics and athletics was essential to Blaževiča. Texas presented her with precisely that, and her teammate Adeleke was eager to commit for similar reasons. 

Adeleke flew from Dublin, Ireland, traveling across the nation while trying to decide where to compete in college. During her time at Texas, she said she instantaneously felt the click of the family atmosphere among the track team.

“When I came on my visit, the team and everyone who was surrounding us made me feel like I was at home,” Adeleke said. “It’s very important you find that home away from home.”

Adeleke said she feels gratitude for the opportunity to be a symbol of Ireland at the University of Texas. She represents a beacon for her country and takes pride in inspiring and making people from Ireland proud.

“When I step on the track, it doesn’t matter if I’m running for Texas or Ireland; I’m always representing everything I’m attached to,” Adeleke said. “It motivates me more to keep training and do better and put on a performance every time I compete. There are so many people who gain pride from what I do.”

Blaževiča and Adeleke are two of many international students on the team, and sharing that experience of representing their country is special. In addition, having people from all around the world contributes significantly to the team bonding experience. 

American teammate Marcellus Moore, who transferred from Purdue, said he loves training and meeting with such a diverse team. He said it allows the team to bond closer together as they learn the cultures of where people are from.

“I feel like I wouldn’t be able to be exposed to a lot of different cultures like that being where I was at before,” Moore said. “We got people from all over the world, so you get the chance to really dive into and meet a lot of cultures.”

International students like Blaževiča and Adeleke bring an invaluable uniqueness to the Texas track-and-field roster that solidifies the team’s cohesiveness and adds to the family dynamic that the Texas track team has developed.

“It helps the team dynamic because people are from all different places so we all get to input our own opinions and cultures,” Adeleke said. “I love the diversity on the team, so I’m really grateful for it.”