For many people, starting their college career at OSU begins with getting in a car and driving a few hours to Corvallis, often from somewhere in the state. However, for Leo Yeh, college life began by getting on a plane and flying over 6,000 miles from Taiwan. Yeh didn’t know a single person from the area. This was an extreme change in lifestyle and culture for him, and the transition was tough at times. 

After spending time with mostly international students for the first couple months, Yeh wanted to branch out and meet some more students from the United States.

Yeh tried to meet new friends through his love of basketball. This led to one of Yeh’s favorite aspects about going to school at OSU, which is being a part of the strong pick-up basketball community at Recreational Sports.

“It’s a great way to meet new people,” Yeh said, “especially non-international students.”

At first, it was a difficult adjustment for Yeh to get into games. Not knowing anybody and being new made it hard for him to get into games. He shared that it could be frustrating at times; sometimes he waited longer than everybody else just because he didn’t have the connections others had. A solution Yeh found useful was identifying others who were looking to play in the next game, and confirming his spot on the team, allowing him to get into games more easily.

“It was really hard,” Yeh said, “I wanted to play, but I didn’t know anybody. People would get in a game before I could.”

It’s different now though, as Yeh has persisted and made connections with people so he has no issues getting to play quickly. “It’s much easier now that I know people. I don’t have to wait a long time to play anymore,” he said.

Yeh has been a lifelong basketball fan. After beginning to play in 4th grade, he and his friends from home grew up playing and watching basketball. The NBA has made a strong push to promote their league internationally, and Yeh has become one of the beneficiaries of that movement, becoming an avid follower of the league.

In fact, Yeh flew down to Los Angeles and bought tickets to see the Lakers play the Cavaliers, to see his favorite player LeBron James in action.

Along with playing recreationally, Yeh also participates in intramural sports, specifically playing on basketball and flag football teams. “I love intramurals,” Yeh said, “It’s fun because it makes the games really competitive.”

Outside of the basketball court, Yeh also spends time lifting weights. He thinks it helps his basketball game, but more importantly, is another good way of staying fit. After a few years here he’s adapted his schedule to miss the crowds. “Going in the afternoon is the best because you don’t have the big crowd like there is later,” he said.


Yeh wanted to go somewhere with a big sports programs. He’s an avid follower of the OSU sports teams, especially Men’s and Women’s basketball; he attends most of the games.

It can be hard to acclimate to a new and different culture for international students coming to the United States for the first time as college students. Through the community Yeh found at Recreational sports, Yeh has been able to make that difficult transition easier.