When Laverry Kumar, a UNC Wilmington sophomore golf team member from India, moved in with her roommates this year she thought they seemed really quiet. They moved in their stuff with very little social interaction with her or any of their neighbors. Kumar took it upon herself to get her and her roommates involved with their neighbors. She called them over and introduced herself and her roommates and quickly befriended them.

“At the very beginning of the year I think some of the girls avoided me, because they aren’t used to someone so ready to be social with other people,” said Kumar, “I think they were afraid that I would do something to embarrass them in front of other people.”

A lot of the girls on the team seemed shy at first, according to Kumar. With continued exposure to all the other girls, and a lot of persistence on the part of Kumar, the girls began to open up and speak more to each other.

With three international students on the golf team, the group is pretty diverse. “We all come from different places and different backgrounds and because of that we have different senses of humor,” said Sofia Hagsund, senior from Sweden, as a smirk sets in. “Mine is very sarcastic and I think that sometimes the other girls missed that and thought I was being mean, but they have gotten used to me now, I think.”

The women’s golf team has a history of international student participation. The Seahawks have done well traditionally, having won the CAA three times in the past five years. One of the reasons they have done so well is the way that they have been able to overcome cultural and personal differences to effectively mesh as a team. The girls live together, eat together, practice and play together and are always able to talk to each other.

“It helps because we look forward to practicing and playing with each other,” said Jeanne Metivier, a sophomore from France. “We have all become very good friends.”