Rodrigo Huarachi: From Bolivia to Bluefield
A move or transition to a new place is always difficult. Cultures and traditions vary everywhere. Imagine then how difficult it would be to move to a whole new country to go to college and learn.
Bluefield College senior Rodrigo Huarachi did just that when he decided to come to Bluefield for his undergraduate degree. He came to BC from La Paz, Bolivia, which is one of the larger cities in that country. While not the official capital of Bolivia, La Paz does hold the executive and legislative branches of the government and is home to 789,541 people.
Huarachi said moving from one country to another and from a big city to a rural community has had its challenges.
“(The) language barrier was always an obstacle,” he said, “(and the) different culture (was) another one.” Huaraci added that points of view about life, language, family, independence, values, and priorities are added differences he’s had to adjust to. However, he said Americans have “similar thoughts about religion, employment, and healthy habits.”
Huarachi graduated from San Ignacio School in 2016. He knew he wanted to further his education while also continuing his tennis career. This is what drew him to Bluefield College.
“A tennis scholarship brought me here,” Huarachi said. “My hometown coach had contact with the tennis coach here, and therefore he talked about me and we made the agreement. I wanted to come because it had my major, and it offered me a good scholarship at the same time, instead of other schools where the scholarship was not that high.”
In addition to being successful in the classroom, Huarachi has had significant success with his tennis career. He earned the team’s Most Valuable Player award in 2017 and a doubles team recognition at the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA) National Tournament. In the classroom, he’s been named to the President’s or Dean’s list for three consecutive years.
“I know him as a hard-working student who doesn’t settle for average grades,” said tennis teammate and friend Tanaka Rushwaya, who also commended Huarachi on his character, adding that he is “a helpful, fun, kind, and loving person.”
Tennis coach Kevin Bowers agreed, adding that Huarachi is not only a great student, but also a competitive athlete.
“He does not like to lose and has a very competitive spirit,” Coach Bowers said. “These qualities make him an ideal student-athlete.”
Huarachi will graduate from Bluefield College at the end of the spring 2020 semester with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a minor in information technology.
“My dream job is being a financial analyst,” he said. “I’m either going back to my country or Miami, FL, depending on the current situation.”
Despite the challenges of coming to a new country to pursue a college degree, Huarachi said he has enjoyed his time in Bluefield and at Bluefield College.
“What I have enjoyed most about coming to Bluefield,” he said, “is meeting cultures and different people (and) making strong connections with them.”