Nov. 11
November 11, 2009
Ms. Mae Ella Marie Carlos
November 13, 2009
Alex Silav knew the day would come when his visa would expire and he would have to return home to Braila, Romania.
But after calling America home for five years, developing strong friendships with many people and helping influence the lives of young and old tennis players in the area, the 24-year-old is not ready for that moment to happen just yet.
However, if his attempt to renew his visa is denied, he’ll have to return to the eastern European country in January.
Silav assists Vandebilt Catholic High School head tennis coach Kevin Ramirez and serves as an assistant professional tennis instructor at Ellendale Country Club.
The Nicholls State graduate is in America on an Optional Practical Training (OPT) work permit, a temporary permit issued to eligible international students by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
OPT status allows students to work in the U.S. after earning a degree. To be eligible, applicants must hold an F-1 student visa and the work must be related to the degree they’ve recently obtained.
Silav played for the Colonels’ men’s tennis team for four years, joining in 2004 when the sport returned to the campus. He served as team captain. After graduation, he visited New York for three months.
He returned to the place he now calls home – south Louisiana – at the outset of the fall semester and approached Ramirez about a job.
“I liked what I saw and he came on board with us,” Ramirez said. “He is a good guy. He’s really laid back, easy-going. I tried to assume a role of mentor. We talk quite a bit, not just about tennis stuff. We have a good working relationship. He seeks advice and I try to give him the best advice I can.”
With Ramirez’s help, Silav has begun the legal process to renew his visa.
“I need an exceptional visa, which is for athletes and coaches, so I have to file a case with the lawyer about myself and prove to them that (my situation is) out of ordinary,” he said. “I have to tell them what I’m doing and all my achievements, my past experiences and success. I just have to prove to them I’m exceptional and I’m doing good things.”
The entire process takes about three months but the application for an extension must be submitted before the OPT expires in January.
“It’s usually good for a couple years after that – I wouldn’t have to worry about anything for a couple years,” Silav said. “Once you get (an OPT work permit) and you get to work and everything is cool, it gets easier to renew it after the first time.”
Even though Ramirez has never dealt with a situation like this before, he has vowed to do whatever it takes to help out his assistant.
Over the six months Silav has been working with Ramirez, the coach has seen the players respond to him.
Ramirez said Silav brings a quality to teaching tennis that is often hard to find.
“He’s very important to the program,” Ramirez said. “As my assistant, he has a lot of responsibility. He’s now doing all the teaching of the adults in the morning and he helps run the daytime programs. Being young and a good former college player, he can handle everything from the best juniors in the program all the way down to the peewees. That’s what makes him such a key asset to what we have going on now.”
Until the final decision is made, Silav said he will continue to conduct tennis lessons as usual.
“After living here so long, you get used to everything,” he said. “You make friends and get to meet so many people. I want to keep going and get good results out of these kids. This is something I look forward to. If I can get performance results, then I’ve done my job.”
Alex Silav instructs children on the proper tennis technique at Ellendale Country Club in Houma. If Silav is unable to get his Visa renewed, he must return to his home country of Romania in January. * Photo by KYLE CARRIER
