Ordinarily, people wouldn't think of Lewiston, Idaho as a destination for someone who was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia. However, I spent my college years there and made the most of it.
When I was 10, my mother who works as a tennis coach had a student who was offered a full scholarship to play college tennis at the University at Buffalo. This unique event launched the idea of playing college tennis in the United States in my young and impressionable mind.
I was born with a tennis racket in my hand. My mother, Agustina Wibisono, one of the highest ranked Indonesian tennis players, was a tennis gold medalist at the 1987 SEA Games. The apple did not fall far from the tree. For me, tennis was not an option - it was presented.
My mother was my inspiration. You trained me and got me to play in as many tournaments as possible. I loved the game so much that I thought I would follow in my mother's footsteps and play tennis professionally. I thought it was the only option I had for a career in tennis.
After elementary school, I started homeschooling so that I could practice tennis more intensely and participate in more tournaments since I didn't have to miss school as much. No school in Indonesia integrates sports into its education system like the United States does. Many other tennis players my age that I know have had to skip school to compete in tournaments; Some even dropped out of their schools.
But the road was not smooth. I suffered from the stress of intense daily training and numerous tournament defeats. Worse still, I felt alone during the trip. I really missed being able to go to school, have friends and study.
By the time I got to high school, I was tired of playing competitive tennis. I thought about giving up tennis and going to a local university. But my mother insisted. She encouraged me not to give up tennis. She believed that tennis could open doors that non-athletes could not access. She reminded me of her student watching college tennis at the University at Buffalo. She encouraged me to follow her path. And I'm glad I did.
Although the recruitment process for tennis was difficult, I finally achieved my dream of college tennis. She earned a scholarship to Lewis-Clark State College in 2014 and graduated in 2017. Subsequently, she completed her Masters in English and Creative Writing in 2019 at Vermont College of Fine Arts. At the end of my college tennis journey, I have friends who have become my family, a coach who is now my mentor, a field of study that is my passion, as well as a host family who have made from Lewiston, Idaho, my home away from home. .
I found the most important part of playing tennis in college was that I never competed alone – I had teammates who competed with me and supported me throughout. They have become my family. The uniform we wore as a team became the glue that held us together. The loud team cheers from the stands lifted our spirits, even when we were losing. The team travels to different cities to compete - like spring break games in California and the national championship in Alabama have made tennis a fun sport. Individual sport has become a team sport. Sport was part of my upbringing. Because the most important thing - I studied and graduated from university. I took lessons in the morning and trained with the team in the afternoon. I have established a good relationship with my teachers who are always happy to help me with my studies.
And while few people can mark Idaho on a map of the United States, the stark contrast between Lewiston and Jakarta added to the fun of my college life experience. Considering the small size of the city, I felt safe walking around and enjoying the valleys of Idaho and its scenic Four Seasons - a completely different world from Jakarta.
It is above all this experience that has built and shaped my career. Now I'm a full-time college counselor at a college placement agency and a tennis coach with my mom. The sport I started with from childhood is somehow still alive in me and has brought me more opportunities in my career.