Transfer Story: Noah Koshi

On April 8, 2022, I made the difficult but much-needed decision to enter the NCAA transfer portal and leave the university I was attending, Utah Valley University. I made the decision for a number of reasons, but the primary reason was I wanted to be at a place where I could feel more comfortable being myself.

It was a scary decision because I wasn’t sure if another school would be willing to take a chance on a kid who hadn’t competed in college athletics, yet had a great high school resume. My college decision was more driven by my desire to play golf. I wanted to compete at the collegiate level while pursuing a degree in something I enjoyed.

One week after entering the transfer portal, I received an email from the head coach of the George Fox men’s golf program, who expressed interest in me joining the squad in the fall. Since I made the decision to transfer late in the school year, I wasn’t able to visit campus. However, after doing some research and talking to friends already attending the school, I felt it was a no-brainer. I accepted the coach’s invitation and gave a verbal commitment to attend.

Let me introduce myself: My name is Noah Koshi, and I was born and raised in Pearl City on the island of O’ahu in the beautiful state of Hawai’i. I’m a sophomore studying business administration with a concentration in marketing. I graduated from high school in May of 2021. My high school was one of the smallest in the state, so when I moved to Utah to begin college, I was shocked and thrown off guard by how different the culture was. I didn’t like it, to say the least. That’s why I made the decision to move on.

Once I discovered Fox, I found a place where I could thrive. During the transfer process, transfer counselor Madison Bradley was a big resource for me. She was someone I could call or text over the summer. Madi was readily available to answer my questions, whether it was an important one like, “Where do I send my transcripts to?” or something small such as, “What does Welcome Weekend look like?” I felt comfortable giving her a call or sending an email about anything and everything that was related to my transfer process. 

I’m sure I’m not the only one scared about going someplace new. On Welcome Weekend 2022, I was somewhat calm throughout the entire weekend. I felt as if I was just another sophomore on campus and not “one of the new incoming freshmen.”

The decision to transfer was one of the best decisions of my life because it’s given me a new home that I love and want to be a part of. I’m the type of person who wants to feel like I belong in a culture, place and environment, not just someone who feels like an outsider. I’m now involved in a number of activities, serving as a sports marketing representative for the men’s golf team and leading campus tours as a university ambassador. I truly believe the admissions department is the best department on campus!

I also feel at home because the people and overall culture of George Fox are so awesome. I don’t know how else to put it. The people here are amazing, the culture is perfect, and it’s a smaller school (which I’m more used to). On top of that, it’s a Christian University that lives out its Be Known promise. Since the day I got accepted,  I don’t just feel like a number. I’m known as a person with feelings, emotions and a personality.

Finally, my professors have made the effort to get to know me as well. I’m currently taking a math class online, and one of the first assignments was to meet with our professor over Zoom to introduce ourselves. I signed up for a 15-minute Zoom meeting, but we instead talked for 30 minutes about golf and life as a whole. That had a lasting impact on me because I felt heard and definitely known. 

Interested in transferring to George Fox?

The George Fox admissions team is currently accepting transfer applications for the fall of 2023. For questions about transferring creidts, life at Fox, and more about the admissions process contact our transfer counselor, Madi Bradley.