International Education Week, November 16-20, 2020, is an opportunity to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. This joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education is part of the efforts to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences. This week, the CCAA will highlight our own international ties by profiling student-athletes who have chosen to study and play collegiate sports across the conference landscape. 

Hailing from Derby, United Kingdom, Cal State LA alumnus Sam Croucher began his collegiate career at San Jose State before joining the Golden Eagles squad in 2015. In his final year from the midfield position, Croucher helped Cal State LA to the CCAA Tournament title and NCAA Championship field. He was also named the CCAA Championship Scholar and landed a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-America second team. Croucher earned his degree in finance in 2018, and remained in Los Angeles where he works as an investment analyst.

Learn more about Sam:                    
The why: I was given an amazing opportunity by Cal State LA to continue my education while competing at a challenging level. Moving to Los Angeles was a no brainer. College is a great experience which is enhanced by participating in a sport (especially a team sport). You make lifelong friends and have some really cool experiences that will stick with you for life (traveling to away games/pre-season/tournaments/finals etc).

I couldn't see myself continuing school without playing a sport and having the opportunity to do that at Cal State LA was a blessing. I was fortunate to be recruited by some of the best coaches/administration staff in the CCAA who helped with my transition to Cal State LA, the whole experience was excellent.

Lessons learned: California is a dream. We are so lucky to live here. People travel all around the world on vacation just to visit this place, and this is what we call home. I learned so many things here: to be grateful for what you have, to take responsibility for yourself, to try and be a good person always and that the most important thing in life is your own perspective (you control the lens that you view life through - will it be positive or negative?).

All of this was helped by living in California, and by extension playing competitively in the CCAA.

I think this is one of the few places on earth that you can really be who you want to be and nobody cares or judges. I've met all kinds of people here, with different interests and hobbies, and I really love that. Being who you truly are and encouraging others to follow their own path is so important. I think the California culture embodies that and it is something that has kept me here two years after graduating, and with plans to stay much longer.

Making it “Yours”: Participating in the CCAA was a huge part of my life here. During my collegiate years, winning the CCAA was one of the main goals we strived for. Competing in the league and visiting all the schools was really fun and made the whole collegiate experience even better. Over the years, we became familiar with many of the players/coaches in the league and it was great to keep competing against them.

Competing, but in the right way (hard but fair), literally translated directly into the real world and this is a key tenet of the CCAA philosophy. It was a really great experience working with the team for a common goal. The interpersonal skill set developed during this time is key to a successful life out of college and something I am still working on everyday. Competing in the CCAA was a great building block for many skills that will stick with me for life.

Of course, things are not always plain sailing, we lost some very important matches in the CCAA, but even those experiences helped me learn how to internalize a failure, learn from it and bounce back. Again, very important skills that have helped me on my life path (again, skills I am still working on today). 

Overall, I wouldn't change my CCAA collegiate experience at all (maybe minus the ACL tear), it molded me into who I am today and provided some of the best highlights in my life so far.

Advice for Internationals: Simple. Take the opportunity by the horns. In the future you will not regret it for a single second. It will be the best decision you've ever made.

Also, understand that it might not be easy at first (and that's part of the journey, you will look back and be thankful for that). My first semester here was really tough, leaving all my family and friends back in England. However, once I got through that first semester, I have never looked back and can never see myself leaving. 

Being independent, half-way around the world is such a surreal experience, you really want to take that opportunity and run with it - you won't believe what it can do for you! Even if you plan to only stay four years, the whole experience will change you for life.
 
Do you want to share your story as an international student-athlete, coach or administrator, or as an individual who participated in a foreign exchange or study abroad program? Head to bit.ly/CCAAiew to participate >>>