Scholar Stories: Argentinian Fernandez Lacort Adjusting to Life, College in U.S.
10/10/2018 11:56:00 AM | Field Hockey
Continuing the popular series that began in 2016-17, each Wednesday MGoBlue.com will highlight a Michigan student-athlete and their academic pursuits. These are our Scholar-Athlete Stories, presented by Prairie Farms.
By Brad Rudner
In recruiting, not all prospective student-athletes from other countries get to take their official visits. It is actually quite difficult -- logistically-speaking -- whether because of time (too little), distance (too much) or school. Instead, these recruits learn about their options virtually.
In a span of three months, Guadalupe Fernandez Lacort went from staying home in her native Argentina to becoming a student-athlete -- and key contributor -- for the University of Michigan field hockey team.
Like many of the aforementioned recruits, Fernandez Lacort -- "Guada" or "G," as her teammates call her -- learned about Michigan via a computer. She Googled pictures of campus, researched academic rankings and got a virtual tour of the facilities while on a Skype call with assistant coach Ryan Langford.
"I thought it was the best," Fernandez Lacort recalled last week inside the team room at Ocker Field. "Coming here, I'd get the best education and play great field hockey. It checked both boxes."
Last August, Fernandez Lacort boarded a plane in Buenos Aires destined for the U.S. to begin a journey that would change her life. Of that first day, she said: "I remember being so tired of flying. I landed here and was like, 'Well, I hope this is nice.'"
"In Argentina, we don't have dinner at 6. We have it at like 9. My first night, I was with Kate [Walker] and Meg [Dowthwaite], and I was like, 'Guys, what are we doing?' Hearing Meg talk in her accent, it was hard for me to pick up. I'm used to American English. They were chatting and laughing, but I'm sitting over here tired, in a foreign place, not understanding a thing. But once everything got started, I fell in love."
Fernandez Lacort, a junior, is technically a transfer student, having spent one year at Universidad Di Tella in Buenos Aires. The school, however, would not let her miss classes to train with the Argentinian National Team, so she made the decision to leave.
A few months later, she was in Ann Arbor.
"I came here to study," she said. "I knew it was going to be tough, everything being in a different language. I knew it was going to take time. I just tried to stay ahead of it."
Fernandez Lacort speaks fluent Spanish, but learned English throughout middle school and high school. Going to college in the United States and taking courses taught in English was not an issue. Some things got lost in translation, though.
"When I had to take a math course, the names and concepts -- slopes, rate of change -- they don't have a direct translation from Spanish. I knew them, but I didn't know the instructors were referring to them. My first semester, I was scared the lecturers would go so fast that I didn't know what they were saying. After the first two weeks, I was fine. I get English today as if you were talking to me in Spanish."
Technically, Fernandez Lacort is majoring in general studies due to some prior credits not transferring. It has not hampered her progress in the classroom; last spring, she was named the University of Michigan Female Rookie of the Year, given to two student-athletes in their first years who excel both academically and athletically.
This year, she is taking calculus and statistics with the plan of switching her major to economics. Perhaps she gets that interest from her father, Claudio, who runs an intellectual property agency alongside her mother, Debora Ciaccia.
Fernandez Lacort is not sure what she is going to do specifically, but is confident that the knowledge gained from studying at Michigan will give her the tools to pursue whatever career she chooses, whether that is in business or finance, or something else entirely. Whatever it is, there is a chance it may be put on hold until after the 2020 Olympics. Like most athletes, Fernandez Lacort dreams of being able to suit up for her country on the biggest stage.
"Every day, I wake up and go back and forth. I have no clue what I want to do," she explains. "If I stay in the U.S. after graduation, I can't play field hockey anymore. There's no level higher than college. Right now, I don't see myself stopping when I'm done here."
Since her arrival on campus, Fernandez Lacort has helped raise the profile of the field hockey program. Last year, she started all 24 games in the midfield for a team that won the Big Ten title and made the national semifinals, accruing 15 points on two goals and 11 assists.
She also benefitted from a different style of play. Though field hockey here is more physical, it is also more team-oriented, a stark contrast to what it is like in Argentina, where the best players dominate the ball. It was something that was apparent to Fernandez Lacort from the get-go.
"Seeing the fitness test and how everyone was cheering and yelling for each other, that was something that really amazed me," she said. "The work ethic and support that everyone showed for each other was awesome. It really stood out."
Fernandez Lacort's impact on her teammates goes beyond the field. This preseason, her teammates chose her as one of the team's captains.
"I wasn't expecting that," she said of the honor. "When I have to speak on the field, sometimes people look at me like, 'What are you saying?' The English doesn't come out that easily, but in my head, I'm being so clear. I knew it was going to be a challenge, but it's been a great thing."
Given all the change in a relatively short amount of time, Fernandez Lacort continues to make the right moves. When asked about uprooting her life to come to Michigan, she answered without hesitation.
"Honestly, I think about it every day. Eighteen months ago, I would've never thought about being here today. I don't regret it at all. Coming to Michigan was the best decision I've ever made."
