No one has travelled as far as Mona Berlitz to become a student-athlete on the UBC Women's Basketball team. The 6'0 forward from Schrobenhausen, Bavaria, Germany previously played for Eigner Angels Nördlingen in Germany's First Division before coming to Canada and becoming a Thunderbird. Her career in Germany included winning the German Third Division for the TSV 1861 Nördlingen where she averaged 20.5 points and 11.5 rebounds per game. Now, Mona is kicking off her second season at UBC and her second year as a student of the Land and Food Systems program. 

Her time at UBC has been a dream realized for Mona, who had long-held the goal of playing and studying abroad in Canada. 

"I visited UBC almost four years ago to improve my English and it was always in the back of my mind that I could imagine myself playing and studying abroad. I started talking to coaches at UBC and they were happy and excited that I might be playing for UBC. I don't even know how to describe it," said Mona.  

Mona's experience so far has been better than expected, and she feels, "happy and overwhelmed that my teammates made me feel so welcomed, even though I'm from a different country. All my teammates were so excited to meet me. The school was so beautiful, and I really like the opportunities you have at UBC. It's of course stressful but I really want to play basketball and study and have the experience of being a student athlete."

Some of the experiences that have proven stressful are seemingly small things that many other student-athletes might take for granted.

"Setting up a bank account and making sure I had the right insurance were things that I had never done before, and more significantly; english is my second language and moving away from my family was difficult too. Adjusting to what my life might be like in Canada, was something that no one could have really prepared me for," said Mona.

Though being so far away from home can be difficult, Mona has found a second family with her UBC team. The team has seen some big changes since she arrived on campus one year ago – a new coach at the helm and the exciting announcement that UBC will host both the women's and men's U SPORTS National Championship in 2025. But, one thing remains a constant – the women are focused on improving and building something special. The entire team is committed to, not only moving up the rankings, but creating a legacy for the future of UBC basketball.

"We all want to build a legacy at UBC. Being a part of the UBC Women's basketball team, we really want to accomplish something significant. Last year we finished in eighth place, and we always say we want to be better and play in the top four, especially as we host Nationals next year" said Mona. 

"If we are good enough, we can play with the best teams in the league or even in the nation. That's a team goal but for myself I want to figure things out and just enjoy the adventure. Not a lot of people receive the opportunity to play and study abroad," she explains.  Mona feels especially grateful for the generous support she has received from donors, without whom she wouldn't have this opportunity. 

"I owe a lot to the people who made my dream a reality. Especially given university in Germany is pretty much free. Getting my financial needs met is very important to me, and I always try to enjoy my journey because I know there are a lot of people are supporting me and allowing me to live my dream."