From Barcelona to Greenville: Mireia Birosta’s Journey

Media by Isiah Dortch.

Mireia Birosta is a junior at Greenville University. Birosta was born and raised in Girona, Spain. Birosta went to Mestre Andreu High School. She started playing sports when she was six years of age. Birosta said, “When I was growing up, my parents loved tennis. I remember when they would go to the tennis court, they would roll me in a stroller and just park me on the side so they could watch me and play at the same time. Seeing my parents play, I developed the love and passion for the game.” Before Birosta started playing tennis, her first love was gymnastics. Birosta played tennis and did gymnastics for most of her childhood years. Birosta said, “It was hard trying to juggle school and sports because I was playing two sports and also had to stay up to work in eight classes.” When Birosta became a junior in high school, she told herself that she was only going to play one sport and was going to focus and become the best she could be in that sport.

Media by Isiah Dortch.
Media by Brett Brannon.

She ended up dropping gymnastics to focus on tennis. Birosta said, “As time passed after I dropped gymnastics, I was having mixed feelings about tennis. Some days, I would feel like I should’ve picked gymnastics over tennis, but my parents helped me to stay motivated.” As her senior year approached, she started getting letters and emails from colleges in Spain and the U.S. Her senior year, she was one of the top tennis players in her district. Being one of the top players, she traveled all over Barcelona.

Her hard work and dedication gave her the opportunity to play in the United States and attend Greenville University to further her future and showcase her talent.  She stated that she never thought she would ever come to the United States to play sports and go to school. Birosta said, “Tennis has taken me a long way in life. I never knew that sports could take me to so many new places and introduce me to so many new people.”

On the court, Birosta is making an impact. She is one of the top players on the tennis team at Greenville. She is an outstanding player with quick reflexes, and this speed makes it hard for her opponents to beat her. Birosta hopes everyone on the team can stay healthy this season so they can get a chance to compete in the post-season. Birosta said, “There is no doubt in my mind that we can’t win the championship in singles and doubles. We have a full team of really good players with great attitudes that are willing to learn from our coaches.” 

As for her academic experience at Greenville, Birosta’s major is English. After school, she wants to become an English teacher back in her home country. She wants to teach kids how to speak Spanish and English fluently. Birosta said, “I can’t wait to get back to Spain to tell all of my friends about my experience in the U.S.” 

Media by Isiah Dorich.

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