By Derek Pham
Fall 2023
Hi, my name is Derek, I’m 19 and I have aspirations to become a professional tennis player after my time at Oklahoma State University. If I had to describe the start of my college experience with one word, it would be “bloody stressful”. Some of my peers have assumed I’ve been kicking it back, worry-free, prior to my arrival on campus. That I’ve been “riding kangaroos”, or some other silly Australian stereotype. You know what they say about assumptions… Something you should know about me is that I’m a courteous person. Don’t be late, stand up when shaking someone’s hand, that sort of shit. A saying that has been ingrained into my brain is that early is early, on time is late, and if you’re late you better have a damn good excuse.
I was two weeks late to Oklahoma State University.
So, now for my excuse.
Since I started tennis when I was 3 all I have ever wanted to do was play in front of thousands of people on a big stage. I wanted to represent my country and leave behind something that will be remembered. College was never an option for me.
However, things had changed. 3 months ago, in Southern California, I was competing on the pro circuit. There I had been put in touch with a coach named Dustin Taylor.
Who’s he?
A quick search online revealed one of the most impressive coaching records I have ever seen. Head coach of a 3-time NCAA Virginia Tennis Team, a former USTA coach who has progressed 8 players into the top 100. People called him the GOAT??
I have been contacted by multiple college coaches in the past but I have yet to talk to someone with so much knowledge for the game. He was no salesman of the collegiate pathway he was a legitimate coach.
I needed to meet him in person.
7 flights later, 4 visits and 6 days of various other college visits would see me finally stepping foot in Stillwater. What expectations I had for the visit had been met if not exceeded.
DT had sold me on the dream of college tennis. I could see myself becoming a true professional in the program with him and the helm.
The school offered me a full ride with a STAR grant which would see me getting additional funding on top of my tuition. One of the biggest factors in my decision came as part of the Land Grant mission statements. The school had given me the opportunity to pause my degree at any time during my 4 years and pursue a career in tennis. I would then be allowed to return to the school at any time and complete the remainder of my degree at no additional cost. As stated in (We Are Land Grant, 10:27), “We are focussed on retaining our students through graduation”. This also meant their student-athletes.
It is a school with a tennis program focused on helping players not just be good college athletes but also develop them to have a career on the ATP tour. In light of this and other contributing factors, I made the decision to commit to Oklahoma State University.
However, that process was not as anticipated. Whilst I was busy putting pen to paper, my I-20 was withheld from me as I was awaiting transcripts from my previous university. Important days were passing and I was drawing closer to the start date at college.
By the time I had received my I-20, school had already started. The next step for me was to get my student visa which was an experience that ruined my chances of getting any sleep in the oncoming week. I remember reading the reviews for the U.S. embassy in Australia and saw a comment that made me chuckle. “I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy”.
11 days later I found myself finally with my U.S visa in hand!
Through the incredible help of my Academic Advisor, I enrolled in five separate classes, registered into the schooling system, and completed my mandatory 13 hours of school. Had I arrived one day later I would’ve been turned down by the school and denied enrolment until Spring 2024. Needless to say, this was done with very slim margins.
I was finally a Cowboy! Go Pokes.
Work Cited
University, O. S., Shrum , K., & Loughridge , J. (2022). We Are Land-Grant: Uncommon Preeminence for the Common Good. Oklahoma.
archiveoklahoma.com 