Felipe Galvao is a sophomore on the Pepperdine men's tennis team who calls Sao Paulo, Brazil, home. He is a business administration major. He competed in eight singles matches and one doubles match as a freshman and was named a Pepperdine Scholar-Athlete. He talked to us about his transition from Brazil to the United States and how his first year at Pepperdine treated him:
 
Q: Your brother, Guilherme, was on the team. Did that influence your decision to come to Pepperdine?
 
A: Definitely, but that was not what influenced my decision the most. Pepperdine has a great academic program and excellent athletic facilities and traditions, which influenced my decision the most to come to Pepperdine. But definitely having my brother on the team was beneficial because he helped and supported me, and showed me how good the program was.
 
Q: You mentioned that you chose Pepperdine because the head coach was Brazilian too. How did he help you transition onto the team?
 
A: Well now we have a new head coach who is an American. But definitely my previous coach helped me a lot, not only on the tennis court but also in my personal life. I am very grateful for all that he has done for me.
 
Q: How was your first year as a Wave?
 
A: It was great, though it was harder than I expected being so far away from home. Academically, Pepperdine is quite tough, so managing both tennis and studies was challenging, but there were a lot of positives to come from it because I made a lot of mistakes, which helped me grow as a person. And because of this there is a huge difference going from my first year into my second year because I learned so much throughout that year.
 
Q: How was the transition from Brazil to the U.S.?
 
A: It is crazy. It is a completely different world over here. The transition was hard but at the same time it was easy because I had my brother here and the coach was Brazilian too. The language here is different and so are the people, but everywhere you go everyone is so nice, so that made the transition a lot easier.
 
Q: How is the culture here in the U.S different from back home?
 
A: Brazilians are more talkative, the food of course is way different, the type of music that we listen to, it's just different. California has a very specific vibe that is different from a lot of places in the world, even Brazil.
 
Q: How do you feel like you have improved since you came to Pepperdine?
 
A: Tennis-wise, my serve has improved a lot and my mentality on the courts has changed. My approach to practice and matches has definitely changed a lot and now I see things more clearly and more fearlessly. Personally, I matured a lot. From simple things like bringing the wrong uniform to practice or being late, or studying more for one exam than the other. I have learned a lot from those mistakes. My English has improved a lot and so have my social skills. When I came here I only had my brother, so I expanded my social outreach and made more friends.
 
Q: What is your favorite part about being a student-athlete?
 
A: The challenge. The challenge of having to perform the same as a normal student, knowing that my conditions are different from others. That is what I like the most.
 
Q: What are you looking forward to for the spring season?
 
A: We are looking forward to winning conference because we haven't won in four years. My personal goal is to get a spot in the doubles and singles lineup, which with new guys is a big possibility. I am excited about this new beginning with the new head coach and team, we are going to get the program back to what it has the potential to be at. For the national championship we want to make it to the sweet 16, and individually I want to try to win as many matches as I can and get a good GPA this year.