Madeleine Coles
Staff Writer
The country of Pakistan is over 7,000 miles away from the United States, but Pakistan native and ISU student Haseeb Khan believes the distance, and difference is not as great as it seems.
Khan began school at ISU in January and is a member of the men’s tennis team. While Khan said there have been some differences he has had to adjust to, there are not as many as most people think.
“People believe there are so many differences, but there’s really not. There’s people there, and there’s people here. Maybe some things are different,” Khan said. “But when you interact with them, they’re still just people.”
According to Khan, one noticeable difference is the popularity of tennis in the United States compared to Pakistan, where it is considered a sport only for the upper class.
Khan was an avid squash player when he was young, but switched to tennis because of how physically difficult it was to play squash.
“I became very skinny, and my mom felt like other moms were telling her that I was too weak. My dad played tennis, so I started playing tennis,” Khan said.
However, it wasn’t until Khan started high school that he began to play tennis seriously and focus on one day playing at a collegiate level.
And now that Khan is fulfilling his dream of playing tennis and going to college in America, he said there are many benefits, but just as many responsibilities.
“I feel like I have a responsibility to give people a positive impression of Pakistan, and when people find out I’m a student-athlete, I think they find it easier to relate to me,” Khan said. “Once they can relate to me, I feel like I can actually make a difference in how they look at that part of the world.”
Although Khan enjoys many aspects of being a part of the tennis team, the pressure to do well can sometimes make being a student-athlete difficult.
“When you lose, you feel like you’re letting down the people you love. Sometimes you losing a match can mean the whole team losing a match, so it’s tough having that pressure,” Khan said, but acknowledged that the rewards are well worth it.
Khan, who is currently pursuing a master’s degree in business administration, said that he plans to stay at ISU to finish his degree, despite the recent troubles some foreign students have faced.
Although Pakistan is not in the Middle East, Khan is Muslim, and said that he is often put in the same category as many of the Middle Eastern students.
But Khan said he hasn’t felt personally threatened at ISU.
“I really like ISU. I really enjoy being here, and I feel like I’m really accepted,” Khan said. “But I understand that there’s stuff that’s happening, and I feel sorry for the students that are being targeted.”
“When something like that happens, it’s easy to feel like it’s an attack on you as well.”
Khan sees it as an opportunity to change the way students think. He said he hopes to play a positive role at ISU by informing other students about Pakistan and his culture, a task made easier by the many questions he gets from other students.
“I do get a lot of questions, and I try to give a response that is true but also brings both sides closer,” Khan said, adding that he receives many questions about Americans when he goes home to Pakistan as well.
Khan remains optimistic about the relations between ISU and its foreign students.
“I feel privileged to be here. I’m grateful for all the opportunities and experiences I have had here in America,” Khan said. “I’m really sorry for whatever has happened, but I think ISU has taken some good steps to combat it, and I hope they keep doing this kind of stuff to educate the local population.”
In addition to the population of Pocatello learning more about different cultures, Khan said he hopes to see the people of Pakistan become more educated about Americans.
“I think that’s the only way forward. To teach people and learn more about different cultures,” Khan said.
