The Quincy University tennis teams have recruited players from all over the world. While the women’s tennis team currently only has American players, the men’s tennis team has nine players from different countries. Each player has his own unique experience of being away from home, but together they share a common bond of being Quincy University students.

Freshman men’s tennis player, Ettore Pavesi, is from Milan, Italy.

 “I chose to come to Quincy University because I thought it could be a great experience to learn a different language, different culture, play tennis as a college student, and study what I like; business,” Pavesi said. 

To Americans the experience as a collegiate athlete seems ordinary, but to Pavesi it is an extraordinary opportunity. 

“In Italy you cannot play tennis and be a university student at the same time, which is the main reason I came here to Quincy,” Pavesi said. “Also, the campus life is very fun and much different than a student life I would have had in Italy.” 

Like Pavesi, senior Dane Mechali also would not have the opportunity to be a collegiate athlete in his home country.

“I wanted to use my tennis ability to get me to the states to study further, because back home in South Africa there is not really much of an opportunity to play at that level of tennis and study at the same time, so you either pick one or the other,” Mechali said. 

Senior Kevin Nathan is an international men’s tennis player from Paris, France. He has chosen Quincy University for similar reasons as Pavesi and Mechali.

“My best offers were from a school in California and Quincy,” Nathan said. “I chose Quincy for three reasons; It is a good school academically speaking and, for me, friendships make any experience amazing and I felt the tennis team of Quincy was really close. The last reason is because of the scholarship.”

As amazing as experiencing a new country sounds, there are many things from home that America cannot replace for them.  

“It is hard being away from home,” Nathan said. “In terms of affections, you miss your friends a lot, your family, and if you are in a relationship it makes it even harder.”

Although it is hard being away from home there are many things America offers that make their time here worth it. 

“It’s not necessarily missing the place, but it’s the people I miss,” Mechali said. “Leaving was the sacrifice I had to make, because I knew in the long run it would be the best decision for me, my future, and career.”

Pavesi shares a common experience of missing home while in America.

“Sometimes it is hard to be away from home,” Pavesi said. “There are always going to be days when you miss your family, friends, or even food, but it is such a great experience that mostly you don’t even have time to think about home or what you miss the most from your country.”

International students see America as a place for opportunities they do not have at home. 

“I saw more of a future in America in terms of opportunities,” Mechali said. “You know they call it ‘the American dream’ which is why I took the opportunity for a better future.”