On November 18, Claudia Cuenca Garrido was selected as an Unsung Hero on the Varsity Girls Field Hockey team. She was the only exchange student to pass tryouts and play field hockey this year.
Starting a new life in August 2025
When Claudia Cuenca arrived in the United States on August 16, she had little time to adjust. Just days after landing from Spain, the 17-year-old exchange student stepped onto the turf for varsity field hockey tryouts — determined not to miss a single opportunity.
“Claudia rearranged her travel plans to arrive in the U.S. early to make it for all of the field hockey tryouts,” assistant coach Samantha Collins said. “This immediately showed us her dedication and commitment to the sport, and her desire to be a strong contributor to the team this year.”
“We ran a lot,” Cuenca said about the first practice. “I wasn’t prepared for that.”
Despite the physical challenge, Cuenca pushed through. Although she did not know anyone at first, her teammates quickly welcomed her, inviting her out after practice and helping her feel included.
Even before the school started, she was trying to make her life in the U.S great. Her good attitude and great technique made her a member of the team. She was a starting midfielder, the number 4.
From Spain to the U.S.
Cuenca’s journey started a long time ago, before she flew to the U.S. It started with a close-knit family.
As a child, Cuenca was calm, cheerful, and affectionate, according to her parents. Evenings often ended with her listening to stories read aloud before bedtime, a routine that reflected her family’s strong bond.
From a young age, her parents encouraged her to stay active and explore different interests, believing that sports would help her develop discipline and confidence.
She started playing field hockey when she was only five years old in 2013. Field hockey was perfectly matched to her lifestyle and personality, as she needed time to exercise and was active, which has been proven by her experience of 12 years.
“She soon demonstrated her dedication and skill with the stick, always showing great commitment and effort to her team,” Cuenca’s mother, Montserrat Garrido, said. “She was training three days a week and playing a game every weekend, helping her team in the Junior Hockey Club of Sant Cugat.”
Field hockey is more popular in her region of Catalonia than in other parts of Spain, even though it is not as popular in Spain.
Over the next 12 years, Cuenca developed into a disciplined and reliable player. She competed in regional and national tournaments, winning multiple Catalan league titles and Spanish championships. Though individual awards were rare, she valued team success and the opportunity to compete against the best players in the country.
Curiosity about the U.S.
Cuenca said one of the reasons she wanted to come to the U.S. was also due to her childhood experience. Outside of school and sports, she enjoyed spending time with her family, watching movies and television shows, and traveling. As a child and teenager, she became fascinated by American culture through television.
“For me, it was always like a dream,” Cuenca said. “It looked like being in a movie.”
Shows such as “The OC” and “One Tree Hill” shaped her image of American high school life. While the idea of studying abroad once felt unrealistic, it stayed in the back of her mind for years.
Those shows were on television in the 2000s, which are obviously old, but she was motivated by those television shows, and she dreamed of experiencing those things.
Deciding to Study Abroad
One of the biggest decisions Cuenca ever made was studying abroad in the U.S. She realized that her senior year would be the last opportunity to go to the U.S. before attending university.
“It’s really hard to go. So this is my last opportunity,” Cuenca said. “If I want to go, I need to do it now.”
Cuence decided to do it in 2024 and began preparing for it. The decision required months of preparation. She researched exchange programs, completed applications, submitted academic records, passed an English exam, and applied for an F-1 visa.
Convincing her parents was the hardest part.
Exchange students need an academic score from schools in their home countries that can prove they can do well in school, which is also a rule of the F-1 visa. F-1 students generally need to maintain a ‘C’ average or higher and pass all courses to keep their visa status.
In order to get the visa and keep her grade good, she focused on attending high school, studying, and also training with her team in the afternoons.
The Spanish school system is a little bit different from the U.S. She is now in the upper secondary education, a two-year high school (from 16 to 18), and preparing for university.
“Studying abroad is a complex and courageous decision,” Juan Miguel Cuenca and Montserrat Garrido, her parents, said. “But it offers incredible personal growth.”
As an only child, her parents worried about her being so far from home, especially with Spain’s competitive university entrance exams approaching. Eventually, they agreed — on the condition that she continue preparing academically while abroad.
Dream Came True
Cuenca adjusted to a faster pace of play and a new tactical system, learning quickly through observation and communication.
“She worked hard, asked questions, and learned quickly,” head coach Ally Valencia said.
Throughout the fall season, Cuenca played a key role connecting the midfield and attack. Her impact was consistent, even when it did not appear in the box score.
“This athlete stepped into a completely new country, a new school, a new program, and an entirely new style of play, and she not only adapted — she thrived,” Valencia said. “She made smart decisions under pressure and helped create opportunities that changed games.”
Hopkinton advanced to the Elite Eight in the state playoffs, marking a successful season for the team and for Cuenca’s first experience in American high school sports.
Recognition as Unsung Hero
On November 18, Cuenca was named the Unsung Hero of the varsity field hockey team at their banquet. The award recognized her reliability, toughness, and quiet leadership.
“This award is for someone whose value goes far beyond statistics,” Valencia said. “She made an impact from day one and never stopped competing with strength and determination. She is tough, composed, coachable, and quietly fierce — and her contributions were vital to our success.
In addition to the team honor, Cuenca received an honorable mention for the Tri-Valley League All-Star Award.
In her room, a senior poster filled with photos of her teammates and an award plaque now serve as reminders of a season built on commitment and resilience.
Looking ahead
As her year in the States continues, Cuenca remains focused on her future. After graduating, she plans to return to Spain to pursue a medical degree, with a strong interest in psychiatry.
“I want to help people,” she said.
She is already enrolled in one of the private universities in Spain, but is still studying in order to go to the public university, which she is strongly interested in.
Although field hockey will likely remain a part of her life, Cuenca knows that academics must come first. Still, her experience in Hopkinton has left a lasting impact.
Quietly and consistently, Claudia Cuenca turned a childhood dream into reality — one step, one decision, and one season at a time.
