The transition from high school to college has to be intimidating and mind-blowing for any student-athlete. For the majority, it's their first time away from home, the first time they'll be asked to do their own laundry or figure out what's for dinner.
 
But what if that college destination was 4,222 miles and a nine-hour plane ride from takeoff to landing? What if you're coming from a city of 1.1 million people to one where the population is just under 74,000? And, what if the only time you've seen the campus and surrounding area is on the internet or your only conversations with your soon-to-be coach came via FaceTime? What if you knew you'd be dealing with a language barrier or having to turn strangers into teammates and new friends?
 
Consider that and you can imagine what was swirling around in young Emilie Marie Marceliussen-Dahl's head when she boarded a plane in Oslo, Norway that was bound for Charlotte, NC in August of 2021. For one thing, she knew she was eager to attend Winthrop University and fulfill her dream of playing collegiate golf. The rest she was ready to deal with one day at a time.
 
The uncertainty that Emilie faced is the same every international student-athlete faces when they decide to leave home and attend college in the USA.
 
Now in her third year at Winthrop, Emilie has dealt with the issues and as a peer mentor is ready to offer some advice to incoming freshmen student-athletes.
 
"I think the most important thing is learning all you can about the school, the area and the culture," she said.  "You have to realize that the culture from country to country is going to be different. I come from a place where we're not as outgoing as the people here. You have to be ready to speak up."
 
Then there's the language.
 
Emilie studied English in high school and felt comfortable speaking, but that all changed when she arrived in Rock Hill
 
"People here talked so much faster than I was used to in English class," Emilie said. "So you can't be afraid to stop someone and ask questions when you don't understand." 
 
Times have changed.  Now Emilie speaks with an almost Southern drawl.
 
"Oh for sure, for sure I've started talking more American and I think I've lost my accent," she said with a big smile. "I've even started saying y'all,"
 
Next, there's the matter of the food.
 
"Way different for sure. The food here is a lot greasier than in Norway," Emilie said.  "We eat a lot of fish. I love smoked salmon and the portions are different. I don't eat McDonald's and I'm not a big fan of fried food.
 
"I remember during my first week the International Orientation group took us to Burgers & Barley and when they brought out the appetizers it was fried pickles and fried tomatoes. I'm like 'What in the world!' The pickles were all right but not the fried tomatoes."
 
But Emilie said she will definitely chow down on a Thanksgiving dinner when she travels to Ashland, Ky., with her good friend and teammate Kate Hanni for the holidays.
 
"I've been going with Kate every year since my freshman year," she said with a big smile. "It's become kind of a tradition for us. And let me tell you, it's been an eye-opener for a city girl."
 
Emilie said the first year was a total culture shock but in the best way possible.
"I mean, the food alone was a journey," she said. "We're talking classic Thanksgiving stuff – turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, you name it. But the real game-changer was the Turkey nuggets. Yeah, you heard that right.
 
"Kate's dad, Mark, cooks these up from a wild turkey they hunted themselves. Where I'm from, hunting's not really a thing, so this was totally new to me." 
 
Then there was the trip to Louisville.
 
"I can't leave out the football game we went to the Kentucky-Louisville game," she recalled. "If you had told me before that I'd be interested in football, I'd have laughed. But there I was, cheering "Go Cats!". The energy and excitement were incredible. It's experiences like these that really make these trips memorable."
 
Emilie knew she wanted to play collegiate golf in the United States from an early age.
 
"It gets super cold in the winter (average of 27 degrees) that you just can't play and I wanted to play year around," Emilie said. "To do that I knew I'd have to get out of Norway."
 
So after a solid career at Norges Toppidretts Gymnas, Norway's top-rated Athletic High School, the 5-7 business administration major contacted a recruiting agency and they got in touch with colleges for her.
 
"I made a video where I introduced myself, talked about what I wanted in a college and golf and showed some of my swings," she said.
 
The agency's information fell on the desk of Winthrop women's coach Kasay Gambrell.
 
"The first thing I looked at was the grades because there is some scholarship money with that," Coach Gambrell said. "The second thing was the swing video. She has a very athletic build, is very strong, and had a beautiful swing."
 
Impressed by what she read and saw, Coach Gambrell got in touch with Emilie.
 
"We talked a lot on face time and just talking with her impacted me so much," Emilie said. "I knew I wanted to play for her."
 
Emilie said the biggest adjustment to her golf game since her arrival at Winthrop has been two-fold. First adjusting to the added length off the tee because of the warmer weather and learning to read and putt on Bermuda greens.
 
Emilie got off to a hot start her freshman year, playing in nine tournaments, capturing medalist honors at the Bright's Creek Invitational after a low round 70, and earning a spot on the Big South All-Freshman team.
 
"I had my ups and downs my first year," Emilie said. "The Bright's Creek tournament was the first one that my coach was back off maternity leave and that was great. It was in the mountains like at home, so I was used to the wind and everything just clicked." 
 
Coach Gambrell is looking for Emilie to continue to improve and have a solid Spring campaign in 2024.
 
"She's really motivated and wants more," Coach Gambrell said. "She wants to get on the All-Conference team and win another tournament. So we'll see what she has to offer."