The United States has always been known as a place people go to “follow their dreams.” This could not be any truer for the 800,000 international students pursuing a secondary education here in the US.

Drury University alone boasts students from over 50 countries, and they come for many different reasons; Whether for sports, education, or simply just to gain life experience the numbers don’t lie. According to Internationalstudent.com  internationals make up four percent of students in higher-level education in the United States, and that number is only rising.

For Scotland native Ben Bruce, soccer was the only reason for coming to the United States.

“To me, that just sounded amazing, getting to play soccer so much. Because Scotland doesn’t really have that so much compared to America,” Bruce states.

Ben, who is a first semester junior, wanted to balance his exercise and sports science major with his passion for soccer.

“Ya know, I’m just so happy that I get to play soccer at the same time as studying because I didn’t want to give soccer up for studying. So my parents were happy that I decided to come here and study as well,” explains Bruce. “I wasn’t keen on going to a university in Scotland, when I knew I could come to America and play soccer.”

But not all international students come here solely for sports. Some, like freshman Emilia Elmer, dream of coming to the U.S. for the experience. Born and raised in Ecuador, Elmer always felt like she needed to try something new.

“It was just, like, the combination of something new and exciting, and I looked around in a lot of places, but the U.S. was always the most appealing to me,” Elmer admits.

When asked how she picked Drury, Elmer responds, “Drury has such a large and welcoming international presence, and that’s really important when you’re an international student because you’re so far away from home.”

Interestingly enough, that’s exactly what both Ben and Emilia have discovered during their time in the United States: a home.

“It’s like no other experience, unlike anything else… I would recommend it to anyone, because getting to experience a different culture is so incredible and eye-opening,” Bruce confesses.

Elmer does admit, “It’s always bittersweet when I’m at one place or the other, because I always miss the one where I’m not at.”

The next time you are around international students, keep this in mind. Ask them about their countries, their homes, and what they miss most. But most importantly, remember that even though they aren’t from the U.S., this is their home away from home, and we are happy to have them.