Returning home to Brazil for the summer did not mean Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) tennis standout Mathias Rocha was going to rest. He seized an opportunity to represent his team of impoverished children in the area. Rocha, a junior on the Saints squad, volunteered at Canoas, a city close to his hometown of Porto Alegre. The First Serve Social Project, Projeto Primeiro Saque, gives children the opportunity to play tennis, and Rocha volunteered from June through August. “I got involved in this project because the head organizer is my friend. He used to be my tennis coach on the team I played for my whole life in Porto Alegre. Matheus Triska opened a tennis academy in Canoas, and in 2014, he began the project.” Rocha has been a River Athletic Conference Scholar Athlete both seasons he’s been at OLLU. Read full story online.
