International student scores in America

By Elizabeth McCurdy, News Writing Student

OCCC student Lucimara Forh was 20 years old, living in Brazil, when a basketball coach from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College came to her and offered her the chance to play basketball in Oklahoma.

The coach had traveled to Toledo, Brazil, a town about 22 hours south of Rio de Janeiro. He went to recruit female volleyball players as well as male and female basketball players.

Forh said she jumped at the chance to come to America, play basketball and get an education.

Forh played basketball for two years at NEO. She then transferred to a college in Joplin, Miss., then finished up her degree in Spanish at Oklahoma City University.

Basketball was not the only good thing to come out of Fah’s situation. She met her husband while stopped at a traffic light.

“I pulled up to the red light and we started talking and then I went to a party with him and we have been together ever since.”

However, staying in America is not all about sports and marriage.

“Any work you do here you make money and it is really easy. It isn’t like that in Brazil,” Forh said.

“I want to go back someday but not now.”

So what brings Forh to OCCC? After working for a while, Forh said she decided to return to school in hope of one day having a better career. She is not sure what her second degree will be.

“She is just such an amazing story,” said Abra Figueroa, Forh’s English as a Second Language professor.