Allen Community College student Francisco Delgado is a long way from home, but he doesn’t mind it because he’s doing something he loves. Delgado, who is a native of Guatire, Venezuela, is a sophomore and plays soccer at the college.

In the summer of 2016, Delgado was selected for a scholarship program called Collegiate Sports of America. Its goal is to help students get recruited to go to school in the United States and possibly earn a scholarship.

Once Francisco was selected he had to attend a tryout. With encouragement from his aunt, he went to the tryout with a few other friends. The tryout consisted of a 2-mile run and other endurance work, along with skill-based workouts to put a player’s skills under a microscope.

“From the tryout I was the only one to make it of the group of my friends,” Delgado said.

Although he got selected it was still a long road before he got to where he is now. He had to take certain placement tests such as the common ACT to be eligible to go to a collegeof his choosing.

He was placed in English as a Second Language (ESL), which allowed him to learn English before coming to the United States. The ESL program took him a semester and a half. Soon after that he was enrolled in a program course of Speaking, Listening, and Writing in the spring of 2016.

By fall 2016 he enrolled in Campbellsville University in Campbellsville, Ky.; however, that became too expensive. Delgado found Allen’s Iola, Kan. campus and is able to do what he loves: play soccer.

Delgado plans to continue his education at the College of the Ozarks in Branson, Mo.