Advantage Calvin: Student comes for tennis, discovers community
Tennis is in Rodrigo Alipio’s blood. His whole dad’s side of the family played and coached the sport. And so, when it came time to look for colleges, finding a place he could continue this passion was key.
“When I was applying to colleges and being recruited for tennis, I had a lot of offers from bigger schools,” said Alipio, “but nothing seemed to click.” He cited the schools not having the academic major he was looking for as the key issue.
Then, a family friend who knew the tennis coach at Calvin told Alipio about the school.
“It seemed like everything I was looking for,” said Alipio.
Hesitancy turns to confidence
The summer following his senior year of high school, he moved from Santos, Brazil to Grand Rapids, Michigan where he joined Calvin’s flagship pre-college program, Entrada.
“It was like a blind test drive,” said Alipio of the Entrada program, which provides students with a two-week experience living on campus and taking a real college course. “It can be pretty daunting moving across the country, across the planet … I was a little hesitant at first.”
But after a couple of weeks, in Alipio’s mind it was clearly “advantage Calvin.”
“It was by far an amazing experience. I met so many great people, made many friends,” said Alipio. “I was more certain, more sure I belong here.”
The Entrada program was just the gateway into layer-upon-layer of community Alipio would discover.
Discovering community in unexpected places
While he would find community in the more expected places, like on his tennis team and through participating in student organizations, he also would be surprised by the level of community he’d experience within his area of study.
“The graphic design program is so unique, it feels like a team in itself,” said Alipio. “Professor Fox has gone above and beyond to make us all feel integrated as a community, from first-year students to seniors.”
Alipio says the key to creating this kind of team environment is the focus on building trust through being vulnerable.
“The first thing Professor Fox told me is you have to get used to people critiquing you. It’s not personal, it’s intended to make you better.”
Sharpening skills, experiencing deep community
That environment has not only sharpened Alipio’s design skills, but he also has seen it open up a more fulfilling community.
“We are hanging out outside of class, bowling, watching movies, having game nights,” said Alipio. “We are such a tight group of friends.”
That friendship grew even stronger this past month when a group of graphic design students went to London for a two-week study abroad experience.”
“It was almost like a big family,” said Alipio of the experience that included a cohort of juniors and seniors and two faculty leaders living in an Airbnb. “We put together a huge table where we all sat together and talked about the adventures each day. Some made dinner, while others played cards. It was such a collective, loud space, but it’s what made our experience what it was.”
Satisfied with his decision
And while Alipio’s experience on the court has had its ups and downs, including him sitting out his first year because of an injury, it’s the collective community he’s been a part of that has not only kept him at Calvin, but has him wanting to extend his time here.
“I had a little bit of a questioning moment after my freshman year after I didn’t play. I was really bummed out,” said Alipio. “But when I came back my sophomore year and started playing again and got into the graphic design program, I told my dad, ‘This is exactly what I need. I love this place. I would do it 100 times over. Coming here was completely the right decision.’ Now, I want to stay a fifth year, maybe a sixth year,” said Alipio with a smirk.
