(Photo Courtesy of ASU Athletics)
Freshman golfer Roberta Liti is more than 6,000 miles from her home in Tuscany, Italy, but the new Sun Devil already feels right at home on her cozy seven-member team filled with international players.
“I felt like I was in a family,” Liti said.
International athletes face many challenges, including cultural differences, language barriers and distance from home, when they make the decision to study in the U.S.
But Liti has help from two fellow international freshmen she met in Europe and two seniors from overseas.
The two other freshmen on the roster, both international athletes, are Ashleigh Greenham from London and Sophia Zeeb from Stuttgart, Germany.
Liti said having other players on the team who are going through the same transition she is has been a benefit.
Liti and Greenham began their friendship even before they arrived in Tempe.
“I already knew her, because when I realized that she was coming to ASU, I started to talk to her,” Liti said. “And I met her at some tournaments in Europe, and I really like her. She’s a really nice girl, she’s a nice person and it’s good to talk to her and spend time with her.”
Liti also met Zeeb during European tournaments before coming to ASU.
“I’m very happy to be freshmen with them,” Liti said. “It would be great to stay with them for four years.”
Two international seniors on the team went through the same struggles Liti and her fellow freshmen are going through: Emilie Alonso from Roquefort-Les-Pins, France, and Noemi Jimenez from Malaga, Spain.
“They helped me a lot in the transition,” Liti said. “Especially Emilie. (She) was very kind to me. She told me her problems with the transition, and she told me if I needed any help, I could ask her.”
Liti has had some moments of homesickness, but has learned to adjust.
“I was a bit homesick at first, but it’s OK now,” Liti said. “You just have to get used to it.”
There are still some things that Liti misses about Italy.
“I just miss my family,” Liti said. “And just my food.”
Liti was being recruited by other schools in the U.S., but she is pleased with her decision to become a Sun Devil and is now focused on winning national championships with her fellow international teammates.
“I’m happy to be here,” Liti said. “I would like to win the national championship with my team, I think that would be the best thing that could have happened to me.”
Reach the reporter at wslane@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @bill_slane
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