M anagement major Aurelien Arlot of Paris, France, is a member of the Bobcat Men’s Tennis Team at Georgia College & State University, typically playing on the fifth line in singles. Prior to transferring, he was the No. 2 singles player for Riverside City College in Riverside, California, in his freshman season.

“We have a very good tennis team at Georgia College,” he said. “It's better than the one in California. I’ve had to work hard to get to a better position on the team.”

Arlot was glad to get recruited to Georgia College. He wanted to see more of the United States than just California. He’s met new people here and learned how to make better use of his playing time in tennis. Working on a schedule was challenging at first, but now he’s thriving.

“As a student-athlete, I needed to make my own schedule, choosing morning and early afternoon classes, so I could practice tennis,” he said.

Arlot dedicates three hours a day toward practice and one hour for conditioning. During fall, the team practices more to get ready for matches in the spring.

Arlot made friends with several international players on the GCSU tennis team. They’re from Argentina, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and other countries. He enjoys learning some of the different languages. 

“I'm at Georgia College, but I feel like I’m still traveling,” Arlot said. “When I talk to my teammates, it’s very interesting to communicate with them and compare their cultures.”

Playing tennis is a way for Arlot to relax and relieve stress.

“When I walk on the court and play tennis, I forget about everything else and just have fun,” he said.

The professor who made the greatest impact on Arlot was Dr. Ward Risvold, lecturer of business communications.  

“He’s very nice to me,” Arlot said. “And I know from my teammates that he’s also eager to help them. Dr. Risvold assisted us during class and outside of class. He even asked me if I needed help finding a job.”

Steve Barsby, assistant athletic director and head Men’s and Women’s Tennis coach taught Arlot to be more independent.  

“He let us practice by ourselves, teaching us to figure things out on our own,” Arlot said, which is very important in life to be able to handle every situation by yourself.”

Once Arlot graduates, he’s going back to Paris to enjoy some time with family for a few months.

“After being away four years, I need to go back home and reconnect with them,” he said.

“Then, I may work as a tennis coach while working for a management company or maybe in international communication since I speak two languages.”

Arlot’s experience at Georgia College helped shape him into the person he is today.

“All this experience I've got and the people I've met in America have helped me be more outgoing,” he said. “I was a shy person. So, coming to the U.S. at 17 years old was something that helped me become an adult pretty quickly.”

Arlot’s experience at Georgia College helped put him on this path and instilled some priceless qualities in him.

“I’m glad I did it,” Arlot said. “I’m going to miss my teammates the most and the others I met at Georgia College. It’s been an amazing experience.”