Meet Student Joshua Coetzee

Joshua Coetzee
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Age: 18

Be Part Of A Community

“I feel like I am part of a community here at SPSCC which is something I haven’t felt in a while. It’s just a great feeling to have.”

Joshua transferred from South Africa in search of more opportunities. After signing with a sports agency, he was invited to join the SPSCC men’s soccer team. “They really convinced me to get over here, so I eventually made the decision,” he said. “And I’m very happy that I did.”

Growing up, Joshua played a lot of cricket and dreamed of one day becoming a national player for his country. He eventually switched to soccer and has never looked back. “It’s a very rewarding sport,” he said. “You’ll grind for many years but I feel at the end it’ll be very rewarding. It got me here, so clearly there’s something good happening.”

Adjusting to the new environment as an international student was the biggest hurdle Joshua had to overcome. Living with other student-athletes helped him settle in. “One of my roommates is from Gambia, one is from Pullman, and one is from Utah. It’s quite a diverse group of boys,” he said.

Although arriving at SPSCC was an overwhelming experience, Joshua is thankful to the staff, coaches, and fellow students for making him feel comfortable and accommodated. “They were all very interested and wanted to hear me talk about myself and my experiences.” Although Joshua enjoys sharing his memories, he is also looking forward to making new ones with his team.

“Growing old together as a team has been very developing for me and I’ve been lucky enough to experience something that allows me to get a good grasp of what America is like from many different perspectives. Bringing my own perspective and experiences to the team has been a wonderful experience.”

Learn more about:

• International Student Services
• SPSCC Men's Soccer