Faur paves the way for exchange student-athletes

Colleen Rich — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 19:44:39 +0000

Faur paves the way for exchange student-athletes Colleen Rich Tue, 04/23/2024 - 15:44

When ��AV tennis coach Steve Curtis got an email from Maïlys Faur asking to join his team as an exchange student, he didn't think it was possible but he was eager to check into it with our academic and compliance offices.

Maïlys Faur is an exchange student from Toulouse, France, here at George Mason for just one year. Photo by Rafael Suanes/Mason Athletics

"The initial thought was she may not be eligible because she's not working toward a degree at Mason, and there are all these complex NCAA rules," said Curtis. "Deputy Athletic Directors Nena Rogers and Malcolm Grace started looking into it because we hadn't had this situation before. But then we figured out that it was possible because she is working toward a degree at her university [in France] so it applied."

Faur is an exchange student from Toulouse, France, here for just one year as she finishes her degrees at her home university. She's currently finishing up two degrees, in political science and literature, and will return to France to graduate in May.

Her love of tennis started by accident, confusing badminton and tennis at a young age. "When I was little, I played a lot of badminton with my family in the garden," said Faur, who attends Sorbonne Université in Paris. "So when my mom asked if I wanted to play a sport, I said 'yes I want to play tennis,' but I meant badminton. I ended up on the tennis courts, and I just never quit after that."

She played with the same tennis club through high school, but there are no collegiate tennis programs outside of the United States. So when she went to school in Paris, she found a tennis club where she could play casually, but couldn't compete the same way she used to. One of the requirements at her college is an exchange year at another school, so when Faur was picking where she wanted to go, she knew she wanted it to be in the United States so she could play tennis.

Faur says her favorite memory this season was their trip to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for PTR Springfest where they beat Saint Francis University, 4-3: "That was our first big win against a D1 team and so the energy on the court was nice,” said Faur. “We were screaming during all the points. That was the point where we really came together as a team."

Since joining, Curtis says Faur's been nothing but a positive impact. "She's one of those people that you can't not like. Everyone on the team thinks she's wonderful. She's been a great addition to the team."

Faur has paved a new path with her addition to Mason's women's tennis team: never before has there been an exchange student on a varsity team at George Mason. With this new knowledge of the possibilities, Faur's advice to future exchange student-athletes is: "Try to do it. It was such a great experience, I loved it. If I wasn't on the tennis team, my whole year would have been very different so I'm very grateful. I'm going to miss it so much."

Faur and team travel to Orlando, Florida, to compete at the 2024 Atlantic 10 Tennis Championships, April 24-27.

"I just want to thank Coach Curtis and all my teammates who were so welcoming.," said Faur. "I have so many good memories, and I'm really grateful for everything that happened to me."

Check out George Mason's Women's Tennis Team

Interested in becoming an exchange student?

College Life Is Not Like the Movies, It’s Better, Says Spanish Exchange Student Clara del Olmo

Andrew J Schappert — Tue, 16 Nov 2021 18:50:42 +0000

College Life Is Not Like the Movies, It’s Better, Says Spanish Exchange Student Clara del Olmo Andrew J Schappert Tue, 11/16/2021 - 13:50

In This Story

Eric McGlinchey

Spanish exchange student Clara del Olmo: ‘Students at Mason care about creating a real well-connected community that makes me feel safe to express my own thoughts without feeling judged.’

When Clara del Olmo learned she was coming to America as a college exchange student from her home in Spain, she imagined the experience would be something “like in the movies, where there would be lots of partying.”

The reality, she reports now, turned out to be better.

The junior from the Universidad Carlos III in Madrid arrived at ��AV’s Schar School of Policy and Government on a one-year exchange program this fall to continue her study of politics and global affairs. Much to her relief, Mason and the Schar School were more about academics than the social activities seen in films.

“The university experience is organized better here than in Spain,” she said. “There is a bigger emphasis on learning and on networking and less on studying and memorizing.”

She soon discovered the school increases a student’s sense of community by providing opportunities to become involved in campus life and to explore the school’s culture, something that is not emphasized in her country.

When trying to pick a school, del Olmo’s study abroad advisor pointed her to Mason because of its reputation for having a great government program and a diverse student body. (In fact, Mason is majority minority and the most diverse university in Virginia). Del Olmo also talked with other students who had studied at Mason; they described the school as “very international student friendly” and the community as “very accepting,” she reported.

Since del Olmo is studying politics, she finds it important to be surrounded by a diverse group of people in order to better understand the world. Different cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs give insight into how different world governments work and how people can interact with each other.

Faculty Is a Favorite

Del Olmo says the best part of the school is its professors. Each of her professors, she said, care about what they teach and is very involved with students, which fosters a good environment for sharing ideas.

Associate Professor Eric McGlinchey teaches theory and important background information, but also applies topics to daily life and makes learning fun, she said. He’s the reason why del Olmo decided to join the International Relations Policy Task Force Learning Community, which gives students a chance to become policy experts by researching and crafting policy recommendations in one of three task force areas.

What she likes about the task force is that she is learning about the American political system from insiders with different perspectives on a variety of issues:

“Students at Mason care about creating a real well-connected community that makes me feel safe to express my own thoughts without feeling judged,” she said. “I expected Mason to be an eye-opening experience, and that is what I got. There is time for learning and there is time to have fun, the perfect balance that keeps you motived and engaged with your university life.”

Topics

Exchange Students

International Relations Policy Task Force

Schar School News November 2021