Traveling to a different country can be exhilarating, but it can also be frightening. For Luis Macias, all of this was magnified as he decided to move to the United States to pursue a college degree.
Originally from Aguascalientes, Mexico, Macias had always dreamed of coming to the U.S. to swim collegiately. Following in the footsteps of one of his former teammates, who went on to swim at Texas A&M, Macias was eager to make this dream a reality.
“I was excited for something new, something different and for a new opportunity,” Macias said. “I got the chance to experience something that just a few in Mexico get the chance to experience: come to college in the United States. But everything was a bit scary for me.”
However, this was a task easier said than done. As more of his friends made the move up north, he realized he would have to overcome a series of challenges, including leaving his home behind. No longer could he rely on the immediate help of his family; he would need to be independent.
As Macias struggled to adjust to life away from home and cultural differences, his biggest barrier was learning the language. Taking a year of English before coming to the U.S. seemed like it would be enough, but he soon realized that two hours a week wasn’t enough.
To make sure he would feel ready when he entered college, Macias took the leap and moved to California for six months where he practiced with the Mission Viejo Nadadores.
“Training with Mission Viejo was hell,” Macias said. “Everyone knows that they give some hard training, but for me, it helped me learn the most English. It helped me learn a lot more of the American English that is used here than what they taught me in school.”
Adjusting to the language wasn’t the only thing Macias has had to overcome. In the world of swimming in the U.S. there are two types of seasons: short course and long course. For short course, swimmers swim in 25-yard pools, which differs from long course seasons in the 50-meter pool. Besides distance, times experience a major change. Macias holds a 1:47.52 in the 200-yard butterfly, but holds a 2:02.90 in the 200-meter fly.
“In the beginning, it was weird because of the difference in times from 25-meters to 25-yards,” Macias said. “It was faster than what I was used to, but when you swim twice a day, every day, you get used to it pretty fast, so the transition wasn’t that bad.”
Though these obstacles scared Macias, one thing he was excited about was the opportunity to be a student-athlete. In Mexico, students don’t get the opportunity to choose both athletics and academics. So with this opportunity, Macias decided to major in finance in hopes of becoming a CEO and owning his own company. Most importantly, he aims to be the first one in his family to receive a degree.
“I took a finance class last semester and I fell in love with it,” Macias said. “After that one class, I wanted to learn more about how money works and how companies finance their projects. I love how that process works.”
As Macias goes into his last year at the U, head distance coach Michele Lowry notices all that Macias has accomplished and can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.
“He has really stepped up into a leadership role, representing the Pac-12 at the NCAA level so it has been really fun to see him kind of go through that transition,” Lowry said. “He’s got that personality that he can just make friends and be accustomed to change pretty easy.”
With the leadership role he has assumed, Macias has some advice for all of the incoming freshmen making the same move he did.
“Talk to your advisors and anyone you can because there are so many resources that can help you get through college,” Macias said. “Believe me, it will help make college and your life easier.”