DALLAS (SMU)--When Tomasz Kwiatkowski was playing basketball at SMU from 2007-2011, he never once sat in a room with exclusively other international student-athletes.
 
Though, many things were different when Kwiatkowski was in school.
 
Back in the late 2000s, money for travel wasn't baked into international student-athlete tuition costs, and neither Kwiatkowski nor his parents had the money to fly him home to Bydgoszcz, Poland. No student-athletes were benefiting from NIL, not that social media platforms like Instagram had the grip on society like it does presently. And while SMU International Student and Scholar Services (ISSS) existed and was immensely helpful for Kwiatkowski and other student-athletes, there weren't specific support programs for international students through SMU Athletics.
 
Enter Brenda Scott, Director of Inclusive Excellence.
 
Soon after being hired as SMU's Director of Inclusive Excellence within the newly created Department of Student-Athlete Success last year, Scott sent out an assessment regarding well-being and diversity, equity and inclusion to SMU student-athletes. One of the most notable findings from the study was that international student-athletes were lacking direct, specific support and that they wanted to connect more with one another.
 
To mitigate this problem, Scott hosted the first International Student-Athlete Orientation, complete with presentations from SMU Athletics Compliance, SMU ISSS, guest speakers Victoria Franklin and Kwiatkowski, and a brisket and chicken dinner courtesy of SMU catering.
 
"It's important (that) they (feel) a sense of community," Scott said. "They need to know they are supported in every way."
 
For any international student, especially those on scholarship or receiving aid, keeping a visa can prove to be complicated and full of headache. For starters, an international student on a F-1 visa cannot drop below full-time academic status at their university, which typically requires at least a 12-hour course load per term. They also require specific authorization to work off campus, mostly through a curricular practical training (CPT) program or an optional training program (OPT), which must be directly related to the student's program of study. If a F-1 student receives compensation for working without authorization, they risk losing their scholarship and being deported.
 
Former SMU rower Franklin from Brisbane, Australia specifically struggled with filing her taxes, which is not an uncommon gripe among international students. Paying state and/or local taxes requires applying for a social security number (SSN) or an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN), though to complicate things more, some countries have tax treaties with the United States, thereby exempting or reducing the tax rate for certain international student-athletes. Most international student-athletes must pay income tax as well, due to being on scholarship.
 
"When I came to SMU, I didn't know any of this!" Franklin said. "I literally emailed (Director of Compliance) Kevin (Lock) so many questions!"
 
Things only become more complicated if a graduated international student-athlete decides they want to continue to work in the US.
 
By the time his sophomore or junior year rolled around, Kwiatkowski had a feeling that he wanted to continue to live in the US once his basketball career was over; he loved his marketing major and felt that there was an opportunity for a higher quality of life living in Texas than back in Poland. However, it was a bit of a winding road getting maintaining status following his initial graduation.
 
Following the completion of his bachelor's degree, Kwiatkowski met with his wellness professor, who was also Polish, to ask for advice on job hunting. His professor's wife eventually helped him land a job with Ernst and Young, where he worked as a consultant for a year, until the company opted to forego their sponsorship.
 
After going back to SMU to regain a F-1 visa and earn a master's in Dispute Resolution and Conflict Management while coaching Highland Park youth on the side, he earned his first H1B visa working for a startup, was laid off two years later, then was offered his second H1B visa while employed with PlainsCapital Bank.
 
Kwiatkowski was finally offered a green card soon after marrying his wife in 2018 and became a US Citizen this past May.
 
"If you are fortunate to be at a place in your life where you can get married, do it!" Kwiatkowski joked. "Even though my wife can say 'You're here because of me!' the path accelerates pretty fast. It saved me headaches!"
 
All jokes aside, Kwiatkowski acknowledged that there are times where being on a visa is hard and uncertain, but that his "Three R's" philosophy will help current SMU international student-athletes set themselves up for success.
 
The first "R" is "Resources." The athletics department beginning to host new international student-athlete orientations is a means to consolidate information and provide networking opportunities, and both SMU Athletics Compliance and the SMU ISSS office help construct a great foundation for necessary knowledge. An individual can also look up relevant legal advice on free websites and research policy with a phone or laptop.
 
"We certainly want (student-athletes) to come and talk to us so that we can navigate the best solutions for (them)," Kelly Garcia, Assistant Director of ISSS said. "I feel that (they) have to work sometimes three times, five times or ten times as hard (than other students).
 
The second "R" is "Resilience," which Kwiatkowski defines as a capacity to bounce back from any obstacle. He knows that being an international student-athlete is hard, but that being successful in the US as a student-athlete or after graduation is possible when intentional, focused and stubborn.
 
The third "R" is "Relatability," which he noted was great about the international student-athlete orientation; everyone in the room was connected by identity, if not by things such as sports teams, music, movies and a passion for SMU.
 
"Why you're here is because something connects you. Somebody cared for you enough to pay for your scholarship and believed in your talents to put you in a room together. I wish I had an event like this," Kwiatkowski said to the SMU international student-athletes. "This is a blessing. It's an opportunity that I hope you will cherish. I hope that you will talk to one another and share experiences. You're not alone here."
 
Jefferson Koulibaly, who played for SMU and Washington State basketball as a guard, felt seen and understood during the orientation. In addition to being in a room of only international student-athletes for the first time, he related to Kwiatkowski; both played at a prep school before being recruited to play Division-I basketball, and Koulibaly certainly has confusion regarding what his next steps are to work in the US after graduation.
 
"Me and him relate in a lot of ways," Koulibaly said. "A decade removed from going to school, he's married and working. Those are things I aspire to do in the future."
 
Kwiatkowski connecting with Koulibaly and the other student-athletes was one of his primary goals in coming back to SMU to speak at the orientation; he wanted to share his experience and provide tangible advice that isn't rooted in policy.
 
"It's so important to have voices (from) students that can come back. There's a lot of them that are successful international folks," Kwiatkowski said. "You will advance and progress quicker if you have the level of practical experience from someone that you can apply in your real life. I wish I had an event like this."