Passport to Play: International Students Find Land of Opportunity at Hillsdale
Written by Monica VanDerWeide, ’95
They come to Hillsdale from distant lands, drawn by the same qualities that attract American student-athletes to Hillsdale: an excellent education plus the chance to compete at a high level in their sports with scholarship support. Hillsdale’s international student-athletes have found that and more—welcoming and supportive teammates, coaches, professors, and friends—while also adjusting to life in small-town America. Here are the stories of three international Chargers.
Filippo Reale, ’25—Men’s Golf
Rome, Italy
Filippo Reale started playing golf at the tender age of 3 or 4 because, as his dad told him, “American businessmen play golf.” His father was on to something. Now a Hillsdale senior, Reale is set to graduate in the spring with a double major in financial management and applied mathematics. He will likely return to the Italian-owned, Houston-based heavy transport company where he had a sales estimator/cost control internship last summer, an internship that also featured a lot of golf. “My coworkers loved playing golf with me,” he said with a smile.
A decorated amateur player in Italy, winning a national under-14 tournament and ranked 33rd among all Italian amateurs and 12th among Juniors at one time, Reale learned of Hillsdale from two Englishmen who helped him research golf programs at American colleges. Playing for the Chargers has opened up experiences Reale never thought he would have, and it’s also changed his perspective.
“Before Hillsdale, I played golf for myself,” he said. “Now, I support my teammates. I think this year’s team will be the best yet.”
Reale has enjoyed the friendships he’s made not only with his golf teammates, but also with other athletes at the College. “Athletes are a pretty tight group here,” he said. “We share in each other’s experiences and support each other. We’re honored to represent a school with such a high caliber of academics as Hillsdale.”
Reale has embraced the challenge of Hillsdale’s academics, especially the core classes. “They really open up your mind to different ways of thinking about things,” he said. He especially enjoyed the class discussions in his Introduction to Philosophy course, where it was “satisfying to think about big questions and hear what philosophers like Aristotle had to say.”
Having lived in the U.S. for four years now, Reale has been impressed by American hospitality and how others have welcomed him. “It’s really easy to make friends here,” he said. “I’ve enjoyed visiting my roommates at their homes. I feel really well integrated here and can talk to anyone about anything.”
While his competitive golf days will likely end this spring, Reale is grateful for the opportunity to play for four years at Hillsdale. “Golf has given me so much,” he said. “I’ll continue to play it for fun. But I have faith in my capacity to do other things, especially with a degree from Hillsdale.”
Lucia Ruchti, ’25—Women’s Swimming
Nairobi, Kenya
Lucia Ruchti wanted a challenge. The star swimmer from Kenya started competing at the age of 5 and began her collegiate career at a university in North Carolina. But she felt stuck. “I wasn’t growing academically or athletically,” she recalled. Upon entering the transfer portal, she connected with Hillsdale Head Swim Coach Kurt Kirner.
“He told me I would be challenged at Hillsdale,” she said. “I was intrigued.”
Ruchti transferred to Hillsdale her junior year and added her talents to an already impressive swimming program. She set personal records in two events and placed in the top ten in two events at the G-MAC/MEX Championships (200 and 50 freestyle), contributing toward the Chargers’ runner-up finish in 2024.
“The girls on the team are so ambitious and hardworking,” Ruchti said. “That encouraged me to step up my game and work really hard to help the team.”
A biology major, Ruchti had a big adjustment at first since she lacked the foundation that other non-transfer students had. “I’ve definitely been challenged in ways I never would have imagined,” she said. “But my professors took the time to help me and to teach me what I had missed. I started afresh and discovered my strengths and weaknesses.”
Ruchti has enjoyed getting to know other international students at Hillsdale, including a few from Kenya. “Even though we’re all from different places, we go through the same struggles. There’s a connection on a deeper level,” she said.
Ruchti aspires to become a physician and will apply to medical schools in the U.S. After completing her schooling, she hopes to gain some experience before returning to Kenya to “make a difference.”
In the meantime, she looks forward to continuing to compete for the Chargers. “I want to finish my swimming career feeling that I gave it my all, that I have done everything I possibly can before I hang up my goggles and cap,” she said. And she couldn’t be happier doing that while wearing the Charger blue. “We are all one family, striving to represent Hillsdale as best as we can.”
Alejandro Cordero Lopez, ’28—Men’s Tennis
Madrid, Spain
Alejandro Cordero Lopez joined the most international of Hillsdale’s athletic teams—men’s tennis—which boasts five international players. He began playing tennis at age 7, and soon thereafter took up basketball as well. By age 14, he gave up basketball to focus solely on competitive tennis. “I began thinking about coming to the United States for college and to play tennis,” he recalled. “In Spain, you choose either studies or sports; you can’t do both in college.”
Working with an agency that helps Spanish students connect with tennis programs at American colleges, Cordero Lopez discovered Hillsdale and talked with Head Coach Keith Turner. “At first, I was only looking at the tennis program, but as I learned more about Hillsdale’s academics, I realized it would be a really good fit,” Cordero Lopez said. “I liked the small size of the College, the close relationships with professors, and the school’s values.”
Once Cordero Lopez committed to Hillsdale, he got an unexpected but much appreciated call from a Spanish student on the Chargers swimming team. “She gave me a good idea of what to expect at Hillsdale,” he said. “That was helpful for my parents, too, who were freaking out a bit about me coming over here!”
Those fears were unfounded, though, as Cordero Lopez found a supportive team at Hillsdale. “We’re a young team and going through the same things,” he said. “After one month, we felt like we had been together for a year already.”
Men’s tennis has a brief fall season with most of its matches held in the spring. Nonetheless, Cordero Lopez had a strong start to his collegiate career. “I feel like I played some of my best tennis this fall,” he said. “My coaches and teammates are ambitious, and we motivate each other to do our best.”
Off the court, Cordero Lopez is adjusting to the tranquility of life in a small town. “It surprised me how you need a car to go just about anywhere here,” he said. “In Madrid, everything is nearby, and you use public transportation.” He finds that his English is steadily improving as he settles into college life. He thinks he may pursue a major in economics or business. “I’ve always been interested in those subjects, and Hillsdale has a strong reputation in those areas,” he said. “I’m looking forward to my studies at Hillsdale and also improving as a tennis player.”
Monica VanDerWeide is Director of Marketing Content for Hillsdale College. She graduated from Hillsdale in 1995 with a degree in English and German.
Reposted from the spring 2025 issue of Arete.