'It Has Changed My Life'

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In Belo Horizonte, Brazil, Victor Andrade, 17, does not have the opportunity to play tennis for his high school. The have only a few teams -- soccer, basketball, volleyball -- and besides, his father wanted him to focus on his studies and not athletics. Even club sports were out of the question.

Andrade had different plans for his year abroad in the United States. "The idea of high school sports was one of the main things that brought me here," Andrade said. "I wanted that to be part of the experience."

When he arrived last fall, he found himself alone with no friends. So he did what he had intended to do and went out for the School Without Walls soccer team. "It was the easiest way I found to make friends," he said.

After two seasons, two teams, and a DCIAA boys' singles tennis championship, Andrade has gotten more from the experience than he could have imagined. The pride of school spirit, the confidence from friends cheering from the grandstands, and teammates and coaches that have become friends for life. "It was really, really beautiful. It has changed my life," Andrade said.