Australian student adjusting to life at FSCC

Kate Atherton, a freshman international student at Fort Scott Community College and member of the FSCC women's basketball team, takes a moment during a break between classes Wednesday for a photo in front of the Dick Hedges Administration Building on the FSCC campus. Atherton, who is from Australia, plans to major in social work. (Jason E. Silvers/Tribune)

Fort Scott Community College has an Australian connection this year.

FSCC students, including international student Kate Atherton, a native of Australia, began classes Monday and have been participating in a variety of activities to welcome them back to campus.

A freshman who attended Wichita High School last year, Atherton is also a member of the FSCC women's basketball team. She said she learned about FSCC through a visit she and other seniors and members of her high school basketball team made to the college last year.

She came to FSCC to play basketball, since she has dreams of one day becoming a professional basketball player, and because she "also wanted to further my education."

Atherton said she was "a little nervous" about attending college in the United States as there are many differences between the U.S. and Australia in terms of college and university life.

"It's a different culture altogether," she said. "I didn't know what to expect."

In Australia, Atherton said students don't have to worry about taking basic courses that they have already completed in high school.

"You just go toward your major, they get those (basics) out of the way in high school," she said.

Another difference, Atherton said, is that sports are taken more seriously in the U.S. than in Australia.

"It's harder to get an opportunity in Australia," she said, adding she hopes student athletes in the U.S. "appreciate the opportunity they have."

Despite being nervous and a little unsure, Atherton said she has managed to settle into the college lifestyle in the U.S., thanks to help from college staff, her FSCC basketball teammates and her host family in Wichita.

Atherton, who is living in the college dorm, said she plans to get a new local host family that she can visit on the weekends while she attends FSCC.

Atherton said she plans to major in social work and transfer to a four-year college after studying for two years at FSCC. She wants to play pro basketball but is pursuing a degree in social work as a backup plan.

"In case that doesn't work out, I'll have a job," she said.