Experiencing two cultures in college
Published: January 04, 2023
Author: Claudio Treviño
My name is Claudio Treviño. I’m a transfer student from Monterrey, Mexico, and I was recruited to Greenville University to play soccer and now I run track (more on that later).
I chose to study marketing here at GU because I was studying something similar back home and I’m looking to develop myself in social media and communications and pursue a career in those areas.
During my year as a college student in Mexico, I didn’t feel like I had opportunities to grow as a person, so I decided to make a big change and transfer to Greenville University in the middle of Illinois! I loved GU from the first talks I had with the head coach and the international office recruit team to the first walk on campus-people were friendly and very welcoming. Leaving Mexico had to be one of the hardest decisions of my life but since the first year, I knew it was the right one. I’m thankful for this place, the people that I have met, and the opportunities to grow.
Here are some things I’ve learned and some advice I have for other transfer and international students:
The differences in culture
The difference between cultures is huge when you’re part of one for most of your life. Coming to the U.S. and having to change almost everything in my routine was one of the most challenging things I have done in my life. One of the things I had trouble with on my first days was the language barrier. You don’t really notice it, but the English learned in school doesn't compare to how people from different parts of the world and around the country speak. Learning slang was probably my favorite part of understanding the actual language.
The relationship with people was also really different. People here in the U.S. just express themselves differently than I’m used to. But I learned to adapt and express myself in different ways and have made a lot of lifelong friends on campus and in the states.
I serve on the Greenville Student Government Association as the Director of Student Relations (I'm in the front, second from the left).
Classes are really different in every sense. I appreciate the relationships with professors-you can talk to them, and they are understanding and get to know you in a personal way. There are opportunities for online learning, making everything more accessible and easier to do, especially during COVID. We learn skills here at GU that we are going to be using in the real world and that is one of the reasons I enjoy my classes here.
Sports are also really different here. Traveling with teammates has to be one of my favorite memories. Bonding with friends and having a good time on the bus is something I never really experienced back home. But here the sports culture is different and traveling for hours listening to music and laughing with teammates is special after having a long day or a good game.
Another difference in sports and university culture is that you can sense the pride for the university that students and grad students have-we don’t have that culture in Mexico. We just go to school and after you graduate you don’t really think about your university or have events like Homecoming. This year was the first time I experienced Homecoming and now I think I may come back after graduating to see friends again.
New hobbies
My hobbies changed and developed in Greenville. Back home, I had a routine of just going to classes, playing soccer, hanging out with friends, and doing homework. Developing myself in Greenville, being on my own, and having responsibilities in another country made me change everything. I started running for my mental health and because it is one of the best activities for you-going for a run creates benefits for yourself in ways that you’ll never think of-and it gave me a chance to join track in college, a sport that I had never done.
Photography has been one of the biggest surprises for me. I never thought I would enjoy it, but I decided to take a class on it and also in working for the marketing department as an intern, they asked me to do it. Throughout the months, I realized that this was one of my favorite hobbies that I would like to get better at and know more about (I took the photo above).
From soccer to track
Switching from soccer to track has to be one of the biggest and hardest changes in my life. Soccer has been the only sport I’ve done and all my life was surrounded by it. On the other hand, track just makes me feel something that I have never felt before. I originally joined track because we had a soccer offseason and I wanted to stay in shape. During track season, as I kept improving and learning more about the sport, my interest just switched, and I decided to focus on track. Soccer was my sport growing up, but things just changed direction when I realized I enjoyed it and could excel in it. That's me on the far right, pictured above at the 2022 NCCAA Indoor Track & Field National Championship with my 4x400m relay team. We won bronze!
The advice I would give to my younger self and future transfer students that come to Greenville is to engage with the GU community and you’ll find the people that are here for you. In my experience, coming to Greenville was a big step from everything I know and I was having my doubts and I was scared. Everybody is on the same boat as you, just trying to make it through and have a fun time. People in GU, from staff to students, are really nice and open-minded and would be open to having a conversation with you and creating a relationship. This university is unique because there are people from all over the world, but it’s a small, close community and that’s one of the most interesting things about this town. People want to get to know you, and you’re important and have things to add to the community. So get out there, go to campus events, and find your community and home away from home at GU!
Bonus advice-Tips for living in a dorm:
😎 Always respect your roommate.
🧼 Be clean and keep your area clean.
