Free water in restaurants, big yellow school buses and unapologetic lack of table manners are only a few cultural differences that international students encounter after traveling millions of miles to spend four years pursuing higher education in the United States.
Murray State University is home to almost 400 international students, around 50 of whom are student-athletes, representing over 40 countries in the Racer athletic department.
Nationally-ranked and highly-decorated athletes are recruited from all over the globe to further their academic and athletic opportunities in Murray, Kentucky, and each individual brings a special set of skills and experiences that add to the growing diversity and culture of global appreciation at both the local and the university level.
Although western Kentucky consistently proves to be wildly different from the rest of the world in terms of infrastructure, social norms and geography, many student-athletes have found ways to make Murray feel like home, starting with the bare necessities: food.
Winslow Dining Hall is a staple for most student-athletes because of proximity to training facilities and housing as well as the ease with which they can obtain clean food options such as fruits, vegetables and lean meats. In a town with almost 30 fast food restaurants, Winslow is one of the only places in Murray where students can consistently find fresh produce, and is often the closest to a home-cooked meal that students will get while living in campus housing.
Although many international student-athletes experience homesickness and culture shock to various degrees, Elita Foti, a freshman setter on the Racer volleyball team from Limassol, Cyprus, trusts that the ups and downs of the international collegiate experience is necessary for personal growth and development.
“It’s different but we are old enough to live alone and experience things without getting homesick,” Foti said. “You’re always going to have your family, but this is an experience you can only get for four years.”
Family support was a vital part of Foti’s journey to Murray State. Three months into the school year, the volleyball team and the network of international student-athletes have become a lifeline for Foti – a family at her home away from home.
Fellow volleyball freshman, Burcu Gulomur from Izmir, Turkey, shares similar sentiments about leaving home. The two committed to Murray State earlier this year after sharing the same recruiter. Prior to their Racer debuts, Foti competed in two world championships with Limassol Grammar School and Gulomur finished second in Izmir’s 2024-2025 women’s volleyball league.
All but three Murray State athletic teams have international students on their 2025-2026 rosters. The tennis team boasts the highest number of this demographic, with eight total student-athletes hailing from Africa, Brazil, the Czech Republic, Japan, Kazakhstan, Russia and South Africa. Track sits at a close second with runners from England, Greece, Jamaica, Kenya and Spain. England, France, Italy, and Japan are the most common countries for Murray State’s athletes to be recruited from for no reason other than pure coincidence.
The rifle team is home to two Italian shooters, both of whom have earned OVC Freshman of the Year titles as well as All-American smallbore recognitions.
Nationally-ranked Carlotta Salafia returned to the rifle team for the second year after living in Italy her entire life, and is thankful for the direct coaching style of head coach Alan Lollar and the genuine connection with her team.
“The preparation that I have here is something that I really needed, and it really helps me a lot in my international and national competition,” Salafia said.
The drastic differences in restaurant portion sizes, insistent ice with beverages and difference in the taste of water were shocking at first, though not necessarily offputting. Salafia chooses to combine both Italian and American tendencies and traditions into her everyday life in order to find balance in the best of both worlds.
“I will never lose my typical Italian characteristics because I am used to them and I love them,” Salafia said. “I do a mixture of things because I also like the American way.”
Although relocating at any stage of life comes with a multitude of challenges, setbacks and changes, traveling to another continent as a young adult with no family and friends is a beast of its own. There are many factors that could lead international students to feel uncomfortable in this small town such as culture-shock, homesickness and sheer environmental discomfort. However, it is vital to both the national and international student community to learn from each other and develop a greater understanding of cultures outside of their own. The experience of this university’s student-athletes are a testament to the hometown hospitality, small-town charm and inclusive culture of Murray State University.