The Fresno State women’s tennis team is serving up talents worldwide – no pun intended.

Seven out of eight players on this year’s roster are international students. 

Charlotte Gisclon is a senior from Lyon, France. She left her home country to attend Michigan State, she searched for new experiences and has now found her place at Fresno State. 

Other international students on the team include Yinglak (Pang) Jittakoat of Thailand, Eliza Dunbar from Australia, Andjela Lopicic from Serbia, Klara Vukicevic from Croatia, Matilde Magrini and Sofia Pizzoni from Italy. 

On the other hand, the team’s sole domestic student, Gianna Mastro, didn’t have to travel nearly as far as her teammates. The Fresno native went to Clovis West High School.

Gisclon fully embraces the diversity of her teammates, enjoying their varying perspectives which have helped her acclimate to living in the United States.

“It’s an adjustment, because we all have different backgrounds, education, goals in life, different interests, different perspectives sometimes,” Gisclon said. “I think it’s super good to learn from them and be open about what they think, and you know, be empathic with it. It’s such a great thing.”

Jittakoat is a graduate student from Bangkok, Thailand. She has acquired a number of accolades as a Bulldog, most notably being coined the Mountain West women’s tennis player of the year in both 2022 and 2023.

She enjoys being able to thrive in her education as well as the sport that she loves.

“I was in college in Thailand for a year, actually, and then started off for my freshman year, ” Jittakoat said. “And sadly, how my country does it, they don’t really support an athletic system. So it was hard for me to maintain my tennis and, you know, get a good education.”

Gisclon’s main focus in coming to the U.S. was recognizable to Jittakoat. She prioritized both her education and her tennis career, which she couldn’t have done back in Europe.

“It is an amazing opportunity being in the U.S. in a tennis program,” Gisclon said. “Sometimes, when I talk to my friends back home, they’re like, oh, the American Dream! But I think the hardest thing was to not compare all the time and to just be open minded about everything.”

Culture Shock Beyond the Court

Jittakoat and Gisclon come from opposite sides of the world. However, they shared many similar experiences when adjusting to U.S. customs.

“The transition wasn’t too bad, just a little bit of, like culture shock here and there,” Jittakoat said. “You know, how people were doing things here. Simple things like how we drive on a different side. Some culturally different, like religion, because I’m Buddhist.”

Dealing with culture shock as an international student is its own battle entirely, atop the demands of being a student athlete.

“I think the food is definitely a big thing,” Gisclon said. “How the city is made. Where to go. How to go. I’m used to transport with buses or something…nothing! None of this here. And I think the mindset of the people sometimes is different, and it is a good thing.”

The U.S. is one of the most culturally diverse countries, often described as a “melting pot” of cultures. This leaves many engulfed in culture that is simultaneously familiar as well as daunting.

“The most challenging thing for me is just how it’s different in culture,” Jittakoat said. “In Asian culture, we usually don’t talk about how we’re feeling…so I think that that was the biggest thing. For me to be able to share something and feel like, oh, that’s okay to talk about.”

Title IX Rallies for Equal Opportunities

Just over 50 years ago, former President Richard Nixon signed the Education Amendment Act into law.

Within the act was the Title IX law, a groundbreaking measure for women across the U.S. The law states that no person shall be excluded from, denied benefits of, or be discriminated against in any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance because of their gender.

Title IX made it possible for athletes like Jittakoat and Gisclon to attend Fresno State.

Under Title IX, international students are entitled to the same protections as domestic students regardless of their citizenship status.

Title IX came into effect during the second wave of feminism in the U.S., making leaps and bounds in giving these athletes the right to equal opportunities in the sports of their educational institutions.

Jittakoat and Gisclon are two of many female student athletes grateful for the chance to come to the U.S. for their higher education experiences.

Jittakoat believes every student should study abroad if they find an opportunity to do so.

“It teaches us a lot, you know? How to work with other people, get a good education, get to play the sport that you love,” Jittakoat said. “I feel like these are the times that, being a young adult, we get to learn and get to explore who we are as a person and get to develop ourselves. It’s a great opportunity.”

All eight Bulldogs have seen at least one win this season, closing out their fall semester on a strong note. Their next matchup will take place on Jan. 23 against Fresno Pacific University.