In my first blog, “Chasing Dreams Abroad: My Life as a Filipino Student at TMCC.”  I shared what it was like to move from the Philippines to Reno, Nevada — adjusting to life as an international student, learning about a new culture, and finding my place on campus.

In this second blog, I want to share more about where my journey really began — as a student-athlete. Playing for the Philippine National Handball Team taught me lessons in discipline, teamwork, and perseverance that continue to guide me today as a student and worker here in the United States.

Student-Athlete

I used to play different sports like basketball, volleyball, and badminton with my siblings. Back in 2016, I was in my Junior high school. That year was the start of my new journey as a student athlete. I was walking around the campus and a Physical Education professor, who I knew through my dad, approached me and asked to try out for the new team they were building. I asked what sport is that? He immediately told me “it’s Handball”, and I asked back “what is handball?”, he told me “it’s like basketball and volleyball, which I know you play those sports”, I told him “Sure, I’ll try it”. He handed the form to fill out. The tryout day arrived, and I dressed like I'm going to play basketball. I was impressed that this sport was totally different from basketball and volleyball. It was more similar to a Water Polo but on land.

After the try out they reached out and told me that I got accepted. I watched and searched for more knowledge about the sport. It originated in Europe, they first played it in a Soccer field then eventually evolved to more developed courts. Recently, the olympic handball developed outdoor games or we called Beach Handball.

Old Court

Developed Court

Beach Handball

I started playing indoor handball at school and tried out for the national team. I became a member of the national team from 2018 until 2023 before flying to the United States of America to pursue my dream of living abroad. After a year of playing for the national team in the indoor category we transferred to the beach and prepared for the 30th Southeast Asian games that were held in the Philippines. We were on the podium finishing with a Bronze medal. Fast forward to 2022, the 31st Southeast Asian games were held in Vietnam and we were on the podium finishing with a Silver medal. Being part of the National team gives me an opportunity to travel around the world. I have already visited Hungary, China, Vietnam, Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, and Iran.

Balancing Studies and Sports

Of course, every student has struggles already but adding additional responsibility will make it harder to juggle everything at once. During the first year of being a Student-Athlete I had a hard time. But I found a way to manage my studies and athletic activities by prioritizing the events or school work on which is more important and needs more attention to get done right before the deadlines. Communication to other people involved is also a big part of my achievements.

From Athlete to Student-Worker

Now that I am a student worker I applied what I’m doing before, continuously communicating to my manager and supervisors regarding the progress of my task during working hours as well as the updates on my academics. Getting some feedback from them is a big help in developing and improving my performance or output for work. When I got feedback from my supervising team, I took it as a complement and applied to other tasks to be done in my academics.

Gratitude and Reflection

I am always thankful for the national handball team in the Philippines for giving me an amazing opportunity to represent my country and bring home some pride and medals in international competitions. This experience molded me to handle different circumstances and be competitive at all times. If given a chance I would love to play and represent my country again. Thank you for reading about my transition from being a Student-Athlete to a Student-Worker.

Dhane Miguelle Varela is an international student taking an Associate of Science in Pre-Nursing at Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, Nevada.