{"id":7928,"date":"2022-05-12T09:29:23","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T14:29:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin-new\/?post_type=campus_story&p=7928"},"modified":"2022-05-12T09:29:23","modified_gmt":"2022-05-12T14:29:23","slug":"growing-number-of-international-students-playing-tennis-for-blugolds","status":"publish","type":"campus_story","link":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/story\/growing-number-of-international-students-playing-tennis-for-blugolds\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing number of international students playing tennis for Blugolds"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Photo
This year, three members of UW-Eau Claire\u2019s tennis team are international students, coming to the university from three different countries. Victor Simoes (left) is from Brazil, Jose Felipe Trejo (middle) is from Mexico, and Otto Schluter (right) is from England. All three say UW-Eau Claire\u2019s reputation for quality athletics and its legacy tennis program brought them to campus. (Photo by Bill Hoepner)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With its reputation for quality academics and a tennis team with a history of success, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has long attracted many top tennis players from the Midwest.<\/p>\n

Now UW-Eau Claire\u2019s tennis program also is attracting a growing number of international students. This year, three international students \u2014 all from different countries \u2014 are playing tennis for the Blugolds.<\/p>\n

Otto Schluter is a freshman from England who is a business finance major and a Spanish liberal arts minor; Victor Simoes is a junior from Brazil who is an information systems major; and Jose Felipe Trejo is a sophomore from Mexico who is a business administration major and a psychology liberal arts minor.<\/p>\n

Attracting athletes from around the world who are passionate about both tennis and their classes is a trend head coach Brian Biernat hopes continues at UW-Eau Claire.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe international players are really excited to be part of the team and we\u2019re excited to have them here,\u201d Biernat says. \u201cThey are excited to be with the other players as they learn about our culture and share their cultures. It\u2019s just really cool to have them here. They bring different ideas and experiences than the local players, which is good for everyone on the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

A path to UW-Eau Claire<\/h3>\n

Felipe Trejo and Simoes already were enrolled at UW-Eau Claire when Biernat was hired as the tennis team\u2019s head coach. It was Biernat who convinced Schluter that UW-Eau Claire was the right place for him.<\/p>\n

Schluter learned about UW-Eau Claire from an agent who connects students in England with U.S. colleges. She told him that UW-Eau Claire was a \u201cgreat college\u201d and would be a good fit for him, so he set up a call with the coach, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe tennis was the primary focus for me but also the business program, which I heard was great here,\u201d says Schluter, who wants to someday work for an investment firm, and eventually, manage his own fund. \u201cI also knew that I wanted to take Spanish as a minor because I really like the way it sounds and think it would be a great way to have a foot in the working world.\u201d<\/p>\n

His call with the coach assured him that UW-Eau Claire had the academic programs he was looking for, as well as a competitive tennis program. Biernat has a business background, which he says helped him quickly connect with Schluter.<\/p>\n

Biernat says Schluter and his parents also appreciated his philosophy that as a coach his job is to help his players excel on the court but to also help them prepare for life after tennis. So, he talks to them about resumes, interviewing and other matters that are important to their future success.<\/p>\n

\u201cOtto never came to campus; he just decided to come after we talked,\u201d Biernat says. \u201cHe liked what he heard. He told me that his parents want him to get a good business education, but they also want him to do something besides just study all the time. For him, that\u2019s tennis. So, our business program and the tennis team fit what they were looking for really well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Felipe Trejo and Simoes met when both were attending a tennis academy in California. After Simoes graduated, he enrolled at UW-Eau Claire. He soon reached out to Felipe Trejo, encouraging him to consider joining him in Wisconsin.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first time I heard about Eau Claire was because of Victor,\u201d Felipe Trejo says. \u201cWe both texted, and he ended up convincing me to come visit. UWEC felt right, both the place and the tennis team.\u201d<\/p>\n

As he was getting to know his team, Biernat says he talked with the international players about what inspired them to come to UW-Eau Claire from other parts of the world. They all told him the university\u2019s legacy tennis program was important, but it was the quality of the academic programs and the size and feel of the campus and community that convinced them this was the right college for them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way they made their decisions was interesting,\u201d Biernat says. \u201cSome of it was chance; they looked at the website and liked what they saw. A lot of it was based on how it felt and looked to them.\u201d<\/p>\n

A strong bond<\/h3>\n

Now a sophomore, Felipe Trejo says the campus and tennis team still feel like the right fit.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy experience with the tennis team has been great; it\u2019s like a family,\u201d Felipe Trejo says. \u201cThese people are my brothers, and it feels amazing hanging out with them both off and on the court. The coaching staff is amazing. I\u2019m learning a lot from them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being part of a team that includes Americans, but also other international students, is making the experience even better because it adds more diversity to the team, Felipe Trejo says.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice how some words from my language are adopted by my teammates,\u201d Felipe Trejo says. \u201cIt feels good to have diversity on the team. It\u2019s so cool.\u201d<\/p>\n

Schluter agrees, saying the Blugold tennis team is all he\u2019d hoped it would be and more.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve loved every moment of it, from takeaways on journeys to and from matches to going unbeaten in Florida over spring break,\u201d Schluter says. \u201cAll the boys on the team are great and the coaches are very motivated. I\u2019m looking forward to the next four years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Biernat says he enjoys seeing the players learn from each other as they share experiences on and off the court. He hears them talking about everything from tennis to food to their cultural traditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe team has a fun time with it all,\u201d Biernat says. \u201cI hear a lot of \u2018you have to see this or experience that.\u2019 It\u2019s really cool to see how excited they are to show or to explain things to each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

A welcoming campus, community<\/h3>\n

People across campus \u2014 faculty, staff and fellow students \u2014 also are friendly and welcoming, making it a little easier to be away from their families and communities, the student-athletes say.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been surprised with how welcoming everyone has been, in particular the tennis team, but also those that I talk with in class,\u201d Schluter says.<\/p>\n

The best thing about UW-Eau Claire is the opportunity to meet so many new people, Felipe Trejo says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are interested in my culture and how I experience something different from the usual,\u201d Felipe Trejo says. \u201cIt\u2019s been a great experience. It feels like there\u2019s something new every day, so I just get to enjoy my time here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Written by Judy Berthiaume<\/p>\n

Link to original story: https:\/\/www.uwec.edu\/news\/news\/growing-number-of-international-students-playing-tennis-for-blugolds-5114\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With its reputation for quality academics and a tennis team with a history of success, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire has long attracted many top tennis players from the Midwest. Now UW-Eau Claire\u2019s tennis program also is attracting a growing number of international students. This year, three international students \u2014 all from different countries \u2014 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":7932,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","institution":[96],"story_category":[],"class_list":["post-7928","campus_story","type-campus_story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","institution-uw-eau-claire"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story\/7928","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/campus_story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/campus_story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7928"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"institution","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/institution?post=7928"},{"taxonomy":"story_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wisconsin.edu\/all-in-wisconsin\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story_category?post=7928"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}