Students’ transition to college can be challenging. However, for some Texas rowers, the transition was one to both college and America, with 10 of Texas Rowing’s 73 members being international students.

“Everything in America is so much bigger,” sophomore rower Grace Holland, who grew up in New Zealand said. “Everything was new and exciting.”

Leaving family and friends in a different country can be difficult and adjusting to the norms, language and culture of the United States can be a vulnerable and time-constraining period for students.

This includes students like fifth-year starboard Susanna Temming, who is from the Netherlands.

“It’s scary to do something like that for four years, and you don’t really know how that’s going to be,” Temming said.

While many international rowers on the Texas rowing team have similar challenges, they have been able to persevere together.

“There were already two Dutch girls that I knew that were going here, and they had a great time.” Temming said, “So, then I thought, ‘okay, so there’s more internationals there and even Dutch people that are having a good time.’ So,  that made me feel like I probably would too.”

The rowers rely on strength in numbers to get adjusted quickly for rowing season and their education.

“It’s great having like a big group of internationals,” Holland said. “We’ve got a couple of Aussie girls on the team … so it’s cool having people from all over the show.”

Sophomore port Andrijana Mijailovic is from Belgrade, Serbia, and expressed that because of the culture of the team, it was easy for her to fit in.

 “Even when I visited, meeting the team and talking to them over Zoom, I had a feeling this will be a place where I will fit in,” Mijailovic said “Culture-wise, work ethic wise, (the) coach is very similar to my coach at home, so I was sure I will be fine.”

Temming agreed with Andrijana about the culture of the rowing team.

“Just what they explained to me about the team culture and how to do things and then, with hearing from the Dutch girls that I knew, of how experienced the culture and the team and rowing,” Temming said. “Yeah, that for me was the main reason (I picked UT).”

Although many international students adjusted quickly, it was still challenging for many to adjust to the NCAA rules of rowing, which are different from where some of them grew up.

“Usually, rowing in Europe is a little different.” Mijailovic said. “It was a little difficult to adjust and to learn new techniques when I came here, because sweeping is not as popular at home.”

Sweeping is the act of using just one oar on either side where as sculling, which Mijailovic said is more common in the United States, features a rower using two oars simultaneously.

Overall, international rowers seem to be more excited than nervous about this opportunity, and have loved living in the States so far. 

“It was very easy meeting new people and making friends,” Mijailovic said. “I was sort of surprised everyone is so nice here … I feel like at home everyone’s more reserved. You don’t smile at strangers on the street versus here, everyone is friends.”

Temming even wants to extend her visit to the states. She stated that she is looking into getting an OBT Visa, which is a one-year work visa for graduates. 

With the help of other international students and through the help of the team culture, these international rowers have been able to successfully transition to living and rowing in Austin.

“It’s exciting to have this opportunity,” Holland said. “It’s incredible, the strength of the team and having like 60 different girls with different strengths and weaknesses that build off each other and support each other is something really special.”