Jen McDonald will walk the stage in May like any other graduating senior at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg. However, her walk to the stage began 10,189 miles away. As the solo Australian on the Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg’s tennis team, McDonald has spent the last four years pursuing her love for the game.
Out of all places, why Bloomsburg?
When I was in a recruiting program for athletics… Bloomsburg fit best. The tennis coach, Rebecca Helt, was incredible, she did everything that I wanted for a coach. She, along with the team, felt very welcoming and shared a lot of values that I have.
Was it more of a deliberate choice to come to America or did it just happen that way through your agency?
I knew I really wanted to go [to college] because COVID took away a lot of my time to play tennis since we weren’t allowed to at the time. I wanted a few extra years of high competition, high quality tennis.
Is it common for students in Australia to pursue college after high school?
Yes, a lot of my friends did go to a university after high school but you can’t play sports at the same level as you can here. It’s a tradeoff. It’s not 50/50 like it is in the states. You either have to choose to do sport full time or school full time. You can still play sports at universities but it’s just not the same level. It is very popular for tennis players to come over to the US just because it gives us more opportunity to go into professional tennis after graduation.
How long have you been playing tennis for?
Oh god, too long. I think I picked up my first racket at 3 or 4. I started playing tournaments around 8.
What drew you into the sport?
For the most part it was my parents, they both played recreational tennis. My mum, in her younger years, was really into it as well. I did a little bit of modeling on the side but tennis was always the big thing that I did. It was something that we all enjoyed playing as a family but as I got better, we started branching out to different coaches and finding other people to play tennis with.
What is it like to be on an incredibly diverse team with athletes from all over the world?
At first, it’s very… shocking? I don’t know how else to describe it. There’s so many different cultures and personalities on one team. One of the best parts about this team is that we get to be exposed to so much and we get to learn so many different things about so many different cultures that you wouldn’t ordinarily get to have. It’s almost refreshing because here, you only get to really see one culture, especially here in PA. It’s almost like traveling the globe.
What were some of the things that shocked you about American culture?
The food here. I remember I put on way more than the freshman 15 just because of what goes into the food and the portion sizing.
What’s usually the reaction you get when you say you’re from Australia?
“Where is that? Is that near England?” The first one is always, “Are you English?” Do I sound English? [Also,] I get asked about kangaroos [and] koalas…
Is there anything you will miss from America?
There is- the people here. I’ve created some incredible relationships I’ll have for the rest of my life regardless if I’m 10,000 miles away or 2 miles away.
Do you think you’ll continue to live in the United States or move back to Australia once you graduate?
I’ll take my NCLEX and see what happens. My plan is to do my masters at home and work for a while in Australia and then eventually work in Europe for some time.
What’s your future in tennis?
I think after I graduate, there will still be some tennis in my life but not at the level I’m competing at now just because it won’t take me anywhere. It makes me sad since I’ve been playing tennis for a large part of my life. If I wanted to go professional I would’ve needed to be D1. I’ll still be involved in tennis through coaching and playing from time to time. I’ve devoted a large chunk of my life to the sport and I think it’s time for me to unfortunately step away from it but all good things must come to an end at some point.
As graduation draws near, the countless hours on the court that defined her college experience and brought her 10,189 miles away from home, will soon face its final match.
