Cougar Scholars is a monthly series highlighting Chicago State student-athletes through the lens of their studies and professional pursuits. This month features volleyball student-athlete Andrea Calderon.
Read more from our previous scholar-athletes here:
Andrea Calderon has grown up surrounded by animals — six golden retrievers, two chocolate labs, two tanks of fish and a parrot, to be exact.
Her animal-crazed family owns Pet House, a well-known pet store in her home country of Peru. And it's inspired Calderon, now a volleyball redshirt freshman at Chicago State, where she majors in business management.
"I've always dreamed to have my own business one day," Calderon said.
Calderon used to help out at Pet House, often serving as a model and posing with pets for advertisements. And through diligently tracking her father's management of the business, she's gleaned key lessons.
"If I don't know something, I need to learn and research how to do it," Calderon said. "I've learned to never give up."
Courtesy of the Calderon family.
Calderon fondly remembers her father, Abraham, setting up the family's fish tanks with expert-level thoroughness.
"He didn't know anything about fish," Calderon said. "So he learned how to do it. He had to study the right type of water, which has to be perfect for the fish to live. The whole environment has to be perfect, with the lights, plants and whole habitat."
After the informal training through her family, Calderon is finally learning the ins and outs of the business world at Chicago State, where she revels in learning industrial lingo.Â
Soaking up complex business jargon is tough for any freshman, but for Calderon, who hails from Lima, the language barrier adds an extra technical challenge.
"I'm learning," Calderon said. "I know the terms in Spanish, and I need to translate them to English. I need to think and translate in my head, and then talk. But it's only my first year, so I think I will improve."
Calderon notes that her teammates are profoundly helpful with that development. CSU's volleyball team features natives of seven different countries.
"We have many girls on the team who speak Spanish, but we're trying to learn," Calderon said. "And [our American teammates] help to teach us."
On her quest towards business lore, Calderon plans on receiving a master's degree, likely an MBA, after graduating. Then, she'll plunge in.
"Of course, I'm not going to have my own business right away," Calderon said. "I need to get experience and work."
Calderon, who calls volleyball her de-stressor, has relished the chance to plant professional seeds at Chicago State while playing the sports that drives her.
"I get to both study and play volleyball," Calderon said. "I always try to participate as much as possible and be involved with classes and professors. And for volleyball, I'm here to make this a competitive program."
