Habiba Shaker is a junior at West Virginia University and is also on the tennis team hailing from Cairo, Egypt. Cairo is a very far place from Morgantown which does come into effect as a student-athlete. As an international student, Shaker also has to pay international taxes and the amount depends from what country you are from.
“I feel that with our scholarships not covering the summer, especially as international students, we get to go home during that time to see our families but then when we come back to school we have to deal with all the financial issues such as paying rent. I also did not get any money from the athletic department for the first two months of school because I had so much international tax and rent to pay on my student account, so all the money I receive went to that, leaving me in trouble if I had to buy necessities or even groceries,” explained Shaker.
Being an international student-athlete adds a new dimension of difficulty, especially financially.
“I do have to pay a lot of taxes which gets difficult and the process can also be very confusing, and I think when the NCAA says they will give us a full scholarship I definitely think that should also cover the taxes and receive our refunds because usually we never do,” said Shaker.
Competitive collegiate athletics do not exist outside of the United States so it was a great opportunity for Shaker to continue to grow her tennis career and receive an education at the same time. Shaker would have had to give up the sport of tennis if she wanted to pursue her degree in Egypt.
“It feels great to be able to play the sport that I love and study at the same time with al the great resources around me but I really wish that I didn’t have the finance issue looming over me. Other than that I am so thankful for what I do receive,” said Shaker.
So, international student-athletes have to deal with other problems which puts a new perspective on the issue and looking to the NCAA for a solution.
The Struggles of a Broke Student-Athlete 