By Karen Dyer, vice president for advancement and strategic initiatives
The connection was immediate. The conversation was engaging – and much of it in Spanish.
For The Woods’ Puerto Rican students and alumna Belen Capiel Gonzalez ’70, the meeting was like finding a little piece of home at The Woods.
Belen, who is a Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) trustee and Puerto Rican, shared dinner with the students in Doherty Dining Hall to talk about their experience and create a connection during her most recent campus visit.
Belen said, “Being from Puerto Rico and an SMWC alum, it was my pleasure to meet another generation of Woodsies. They are intelligent, personable and talented – a great contribution to the SMWC volleyball team. I’m looking forward to seeing many more talented students from Puerto Rico join the women’s and men’s volleyball teams and gain academic success for their future careers!”
The volleyball team has three Puerto Rican players: Alondra Garcia Alicea, Ariana Hernadez and Zulairam De Jesus.
Ashley Harris, head women’s volleyball coach and senior women’s administrator, “Our volleyball culture is all about family and relationships – and in the Hispanic culture, nothing is more important than that. This is why we do so well recruiting players from Puerto Rico. The parents and players see a home away from home when they see who we are and what we are all about at The Woods.”
SMWC volleyball player Alondra Garcia Alicea said, “Becoming part of the SMWC family has allowed me to obtain an excellent education. I have grown around great people who have provided tremendous support. Coming from Puerto Rico to the United States, I wanted to have the opportunity to play volleyball at the next level, and Coach Ashley and Coach Ian gave me that chance.”
Ashley joined the College as the head coach of SMWC women’s volleyball in 2021 as part of a duo with husband Ian Harris, the inaugural head coach of SMWC men’s volleyball. The men’s team will begin their season in the spring of 2023.
Ian said, “We will have half a dozen players from Puerto Rico on our teams next season. It has always been a major recruiting area for us and likely always will.”
“Unfortunately, many coaches are afraid to coach someone from a different culture or that speaks a different language. There are great people and coaches in Puerto Rico, and we are grateful that they trust us with their players,” Ian added.
Alondra explained, “Being a volleyball player from Puerto Rico and moving here has helped me understand the game better. Joining the volleyball program has exposed me to people from across the world, helping me expand my knowledge. So many backgrounds come together to share a common goal here, which is to get better every day and win.”
Recruiting a more diverse student population has been a goal of the institution as part of the Aspire Even Higher Strategic Plan. On campus, SMWC has grown to a rate of 19% students of color over the past few years, which compares to 15.2% for Indiana residents of color. Of this total for SMWC, 5% are Hispanic students.
“Nada es mas importante para Ashley y para mi que la familia. No tenemos jugadores – solamente familia aqui, said Ian, which translates to “nothing is more important than family for Ashley and me. We don’t have players – we have family here.”
Three other Puerto Rican students, all music therapy majors, also joined in the gathering: Joynelis Caminero Santiago, Carmela D’Agostino and Ariana Hall.
