Andrei’s Story

“I was only 2 years old when my Dad won the lottery which meant we could move to America. Six months later my parents and I came to the U.S. with almost nothing and speaking very little English. In Romania, my father was a military officer and my mother was a graduate psychology student. They moved to America to offer me a better life.” In second grade Andrei started playing tennis with his father and developed a passion for the sport. Andrei’s father went to the Doylestown Tennis Club and explained their situation to Ed. Andrei was granted a full tennis scholarship by the club. Through his dedication and hard work he became one of the top junior players in the club and in high school began volunteering to help younger students.

In 2022 Andrei graduated from high school and started at Ursinus College to pursue a career in psychology and neuroscience and to play on their tennis team. Congratulations, Andrei! What a wonderful tennis success story! To read Andrei’s amazing full story as told by him, see his college essay below.

Andrei’s College Essay 2022

I was only 2 years old when my dad won the lottery visa which meant we had to move to the United States as soon as possible. Six months later, my parents and I came into the United States with almost nothing and speaking barely any English. In Romania, my father was a military officer and my mother was a graduating psychology student. They moved to America to offer me a better life.

When I started pre-school, I had not learned that much English so I had a difficult time talking with teachers and other students. At home, my parents spoke mainly Romanian with some broken English, but as the years progressed, we all learned together, and eventually, in 5th grade, my teacher placed me into Advanced English, which made me very proud. For a few years in those times, I refused to speak Romanian because I wanted to fit in with everyone else. But now, I am honored to be bilingual and see the beauty and benefits of both Romanian and English.

In second grade, I started to play tennis with my dad. By fourth grade, my passion for the sport ignited. For me, tennis was a way to prove myself to others and I dedicated myself to practice with the help of some great coaches, as a result, the tennis club became my second home. I became one of the best players at my club and started to win competitive junior tournaments. Because my passion for tennis grew stronger, in eighth grade, I enrolled in Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. It was a difficult decision to leave one of the best schools in the state but this gave me the opportunity to focus on tennis without sacrificing academics and the ability to take rigorous courses. I always felt I had to win, I couldn’t always enjoy myself while playing tennis and truly make meaningful relationships with other players. I began to see that my overly competitive nature and attitude were sometimes hurting me more than they were making me happy. From then, I made the best decision of my life to play tennis and enjoy myself without always making it be a competition. Still, I have kept that competitive fiery drive and love for tennis inside me because it helps me reach new heights.

Focusing equally as much on academics and learning gave me the chance to learn new things and discover new hobbies and interests. In addition to my coursework, I became fluent in the Romanian language and studied world history, tennis history, languages, geography, religion, music, art, filmmaking, and cinema. Moreover, through this, I discovered my passion for Psychology, and I know that this came from my mother, who inspired me to pursue a career in the domain. More importantly, I have come to see the great value of my background and identity. I couldn’t ask to be from a more beautiful, unique, and fascinating culture and heritage. One thing that has given me great insight into my life and past is watching my 3-year-old sister grow up. When I look at her, I see and feel how I was at the beginning of my new life in America. All the negative feelings and frustrations I experienced at my beginning have given me a deeper understanding of people and their emotions as well as the desire to help them. Furthermore, I have realized that those feelings and experiences have given me great strength and confidence to face the challenges that await me. I know that those things have made me who I am today, and I would never change them for anything in the world.