By Brandon Nunley
King is home to students from far and wide. The university prides itself on being welcoming to many international students. The Kayseean has gone and interviewed a couple of international students to give you a look into their perspectives of American culture.
Deniz Aytun
Deniz is a freshman student from Talavera de la Reina in Spain, just outside of Madrid. When asked how she ended up here she said, “I found king because the tennis coach contacted me, and I always have wanted to come and study in the states.” This is not her first time here though, she has previously visited New York, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Buffalo. Deniz says her favorite part about King is “being able to meet a lot of different people and also people from other countries.”
Of course, things here in the states differ from across the world. Some of the biggest differences she has noticed in America is the food and lack of public transportation. She notes the strangest thing for her is “that you are allowed to drive at 16, in Spain, it as 18.” Deniz delightfully finds that Appalachian culture is unique to other parts of the country because everyone here is really nice. Deniz is planning to major in economics and says she would love to stay here in the states and work. She is also on the tennis team here at King, earning honors as Conference Carolinas women’s freshman tennis player of the month in October.
Rhys Halcrow
Rhys is a freshman, with plans to graduate in 2025. He comes from Portland, in southern England. How did he end up here? He says, “I found out about King through my tennis recruitment agent and Coach Acklin reaching out to me to join the team.” This is Rhys second time in the US, the first being a trip to Florida with his high school. When asked why he chose this university he responded, “I considered my options and I liked King because it was a small school in an area that is not in the middle of nowhere. It just seemed to match what I liked.” He says his favorite thing about King is “how it feels like a community and there are always places you can go to get your own space but also people I can talk to if needed.” The biggest difference he’s noticed from here and home is the price of healthy food being much more expensive than unhealthy foods.
The thing that stands out to him most about Appalachian culture is the strong southern accent and the amount of sweet tea consumed. The oddest thing to Rhys about American culture is the scale on which Halloween is celebrated saying “We have it (Halloween) at home, but I don’t think it is on the same scale.” He has not declared a major yet but is considering taking up a business major. Rhys is a part of the tennis team, earning honors as Conference Carolinas men’s freshman tennis player of the month for October.
We gladly open our arms to our students studying far from home and wish them the best of luck on their journey here at King. For all information and assistance needs related to international students, please visit https://www.king.edu/student-life/resources-for-students/international-students/
