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Ella Swan’s journey to discovery with Allegheny tennis
Ella Swan enters her third year as one of the top tennis players at Allegheny College. (Courtesy: Allegheny Athletics)

Ella Swan’s journey to discovery with Allegheny tennis

MEADVILLE, Pa. (BVM) — Allegheny College counts about 73 international students roaming the hilly campus of northeastern Pennsylvania making 4.1% of the student body. For the most part, that is entirely unsurprising. Located far from the bright lights of any major US city, Allegheny College is nestled against the oblong Lake Erie, making for mild summers and brutal winters. Outside northern Ohio and Pennsylvania, Allegheny remains hidden.

For tennis player Ella Swan, it is her diverse group of friends, this international minority, that have contributed to her personal growth at the college.

“At Allegheny, it is predominantly white,” she said. “However, I am friends with a lot of international students. I was able to experience many cultural traditions. Allegheny is very inclusive and wants to support its diverse students so the college will hold a lot of events like Lunar New Year to name one. I am grateful to have such a diverse friend group.”

Exposure to new people and ideas is embedded in the college experience, however, for Swan, Allegheny has meant more. As a Chinese child adopted into a white family at a young age, she has been caught between two identities her entire life. Growing up in Nashville, Tenn., a place where Asians make up only 1.7% of the population, Swan has maintained a strained relationship with Chinese culture.

“When I was young, my family implemented Chinese traditions like Lunar New Year,” she said. “They would come to my elementary school and present [about the holiday]. I have not been exposed to a lot of Chinese traditions. It is bothersome sometimes because I really don’t know my own culture. It is sometimes a little sad, but thankfully I am able to learn about it.”

Despite her warring cultural identity, another integral part of understanding Swan is tennis. Having picked up the racket at a young age, she has toured the Nashville tennis circuit, a regular at almost any court around the city. Even without a structured school team to play on until high school, Swan made her name with various coaches and against players from different schools. Looking back though, her competitive spirit desired for better opposition.

“I would probably go to a place like Franklin or Brentwood, just because I would be able to play in that competitive atmosphere,” she said. “It really depends on who you play, no matter who you get your coaching on. Playing with players above you will always improve you and your game.”

In such an individual sport, the team construct lacks the impact that a basketball or football team has. Compounded with the fact that the high school she went to, Hume Fogg, focused more on academics than athletics, Swan’s situation was not conducive for the development of an elite athlete. But here she is.

As Swan turned her focus toward college, the only thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to keep competing. With multiple suitors from around the country, there was no shortage of coaches vying for Swan’s signature. In the end, Allegheny emerged as the perfect fit.

“I picked Allegheny mainly for tennis,” she said. “I wanted to continue my tennis career all throughout college. I really liked the community at Allegheny. Everyone was really welcoming as well as down to Earth and genuine, which I really liked.”

She received more than a welcoming community and competitive tennis; upon arrival, Swan grew close with members of the tennis team and other international students, a distinct change from her high school peers.

“To be honest, I did not expect this experience,” she said. “Back in high school, my friend group was predominantly white, and in college, I have a predominantly Asian friend group. It’s definitely an experience that is different but something I really enjoy.”

For many athletes, sports dominate the identity of the sportsman or sportswoman for good reason. It takes hours of hard work and an indomitable love of the game to reach breathtaking heights. There is just little room for much else. As Swan looks on to her junior year, tennis is no longer everything.

That does not mean she is not the hardest worker on the team. That does not mean her competitive fire has been extinguished. It certainly does not mean she is less of a player. It means now, Swan is discovering a new balance in her life through tennis. One teammate in particular has helped her learn more about her Chinese roots: Tiaralei Cade, a tennis player of the same year as Swan from London with Korean heritage.

“We are very good friends,” she said of their relationship. “We play on the tennis team and are in the same friend group. She and one of my other friends, Hannah, have immersed me in more traditional Asian culture. They have influenced me a lot, helped me learn more about my culture and other cultures. They have played a big role in urging me to learn more about my identity as a Chinese woman.”

Swan’s self-revelatory experience on the Allegheny tennis team continues to shape who she is, and she will never waiver from who she is. Even on the court, Swan remains true to herself and her playing style. Her answer to how she approaches matches epitomizes who she is not just as a player, but as a person.

“I have a tennis ritual,” she said with a smile. “I will jump up and down to get my feet started. I will go to the fence and then be ready to go. I mostly feel it out to see how the player plays. You have to figure them out right away. I try to play my tennis. I’m not trying to adhere to their tennis because that will make me lose. I don’t want to play their tennis, I want to play my tennis.”

Tennis is still the heartbeat, but Swan’s cultural identity will always course through her. With the help of her friends and the tennis team at Allegheny, Swan’s journey on the court has been indelibly tied to her journey off it.