国产探花

Refugee and International Soccer Players Make the Team

鈥淭he value of family and community.鈥�

In a few words, Keene State men鈥檚 soccer Head Coach Rick Scott sums up what he has learned from the international players he has taken under his tutelage, many with refugee backgrounds.

Scott鈥檚 commitment to international and refugee players began in 2014, when, in his first year as head coach, he saw Promise Kpee 鈥�18, Jacob Chiza 鈥�19, and Samuel Masumbuko 鈥�19 playing at Manchester Central and Manchester Memorial High Schools and was struck by their athletic talent. Scott learned from the young men鈥檚 coaches that all three had lived for years in refugee camps after fleeing violence in their home countries, and that they had recently relocated to Manchester, NH鈥攁 designated area of national refugee resettlement.

Kpee, a refugee from Nigeria, and Chiza and Masumbuko, refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, spoke multiple languages fluently, but English was not yet one. The young men were therefore struggling academically.

鈥淢y initial reaction was, if these guys can learn six different languages while living in a refugee camp, they can be successful at anything if given a chance,鈥� said Scott.

Scott worked with admissions to determine if Keene State had the right support resources for these students. The answer was a resounding 鈥測es,鈥� starting with Scott himself. Since 2014, Scott鈥檚 door has been wide open for his players. Several players with refugee backgrounds have lived with Scott over the years, including Yusufu Juma 鈥�22, a refugee from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who lives with Scott currently, and Masumbuko, who lived with Scott during a year off.

鈥淲hen I decided to take some time off from school for personal reasons, Rick said 鈥榊ou don鈥檛 have to go home, you can stay with me,鈥欌�� said Masumbuko. 鈥淲e built up a relationship, just like father and son. I wasn鈥檛 even playing for Rick at the time, but if he cares for you, he makes sure you get yourself right.鈥�

Scott says the opportunity to spend intensive time with players has transformed him. 鈥淭hese young men amaze me every day. They really take care of each other because that鈥檚 what they had to do in the refugee camps. I want to learn and share what they鈥檝e been through, and I鈥檝e found after a year and a half, they start to open up about their experiences. They鈥檝e been through an awful lot.鈥�

Another important resource for these players has been the soccer team itself, which has provided a built-in network of academic support. 鈥淭he guys have formed study groups, with the international students bringing their knowledge of different languages, including French and Italian, and the other players bringing English language knowledge. It鈥檚 a two-way street and it鈥檚 been awesome for team chemistry.鈥�

Indeed, since 2014 Scott鈥檚 Owls have enjoyed a winning record and boasted an LEC Tournament Championship and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019, along with numerous 2nd place finishes in the LEC. Scott says his diverse roster and the strong team chemistry they鈥檝e developed is a big part of their success. In addition to students with refugee backgrounds, the team includes players from Armenia, Bosnia, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guatemala, and Italy. 鈥淭he international guys are so personable, always the life of a party,鈥� said Scott. 鈥淲e鈥檝e had some get-togethers, and they will cook a lot of food that they used to live on, such as fufu, for the team. We learn a lot about each other鈥檚 traditions, cultures, it鈥檚 a fun group.鈥�

Perhaps the most important lesson the international players have shared is appreciating every opportunity they get. Said Scott, 鈥淭he other players see that the international players appreciate things that you and I might take for granted, and that鈥檚 been life changing. They are hardworking, very good in the classrooms, they don鈥檛 miss a class. They鈥檙e just beautiful people.鈥�

This mindset plays out both on and off the field, with the international and refugee students taking advantage of every available academic opportunity. Kpee, Chiza, and Masumbuko successfully pursued their degrees in Safety & Occupational Health Applied Sciences, and paved the way for other soccer players to follow in their path.

鈥淭hese safety majors go out into the world and are dealing with people鈥檚 lives,鈥� said Scott. 鈥淭hey have workers鈥� lives in their hands. It鈥檚 an incredible responsibility, but there is no better suited group of people for this career than these students, who have taken care of each other and their families, many under significant distress, for their whole lives.鈥�

While many international soccer players choose to focus on Safety & Occupational Health Applied Sciences, many choose other paths as well. Take Yusufu Juma 鈥�22, who is focusing on business management; or Clinton Mungeta 21, who is studying elementary education and French in addition to safety; or Mbambi Mbungu 25, who is a studio art major. 鈥淎ll have unique stories,鈥� said Scott, 鈥渁nd all bring an incredible range of talents, even while sometimes sharing a powerful personal narrative. The thing they do share is that they are hard working in the classroom, on the soccer field, and anything they do.鈥�

So where are Kpee, Chiza, and Masumbuko now? Promise is a safety coordinator for Granite Construction, one of the largest full-service general contractors, construction management firms, and construction materials producers in the U.S.

Chiza is working on his masters in safety education and is a safety manager for Delphi Construction in the Boston area.

And Masumbuko is senior safety manager for Holder Construction in Denver, and just had a baby girl in December 2021 with his partner and Keene State classmate Brittany Gravallesse 鈥�19.

鈥淲ithout the help of Rick Scott, I wouldn鈥檛 be where I am today,鈥� said Masumbuko. 鈥淩ick Scott said to me years ago, 鈥業 will make sure you have a career that will lift you and your family,鈥� and he helped me every step of the way to get that. He and the team were always there for me. You don鈥檛 look at it as a team. It鈥檚 family.鈥�

鈥淪occer was the impetus to get these young men here,鈥� said Scott, 鈥渂ut once their communities, as well as the Keene State community, saw that they were doing so well, it built a pipeline. It鈥檚 a great story, what they鈥檝e been able to do, and all of us are the better for it.

鈥淎s much as they鈥檝e gotten out of Keene State, I鈥檝e gotten just as much.鈥�