Alejandro “Ale” Perez Canedo ’26 transferred to Transylvania University for tennis but discovered a close-knit college community, faculty mentors and an academic passion that changed the direction of his life.
“I’ve felt truly happy here. I found a home.”
When Perez Canedo says those words, he pauses for a moment, searching for language that can fully capture what Transylvania has meant to him.
“It’s difficult to describe,” he admits. “The joy, the passion … literally living my dreams.”
For Perez Canedo, those dreams didn’t begin in Lexington. They began thousands of miles away in Cochabamba, Bolivia, where family taught him the importance of community, perseverance and caring for others. Those values followed him to the United States, where he enrolled at another university with one goal in mind: become a better tennis player.
But something wasn’t right.
“I wanted to seek a better opportunity,” he said. “I didn’t know that opportunity would be Transylvania University.”
The recommendation came from someone he trusted deeply — a coach from Chile whom he describes as a second father. The coach believed Transylvania would offer more than strong tennis. He believed it would provide mentors who would shape Perez Canedo’s character and help him grow into the person he was meant to become.
He was right.
Transferring to Transylvania for tennis — and finding something more
Perez Canedo arrived in Lexington focused almost entirely on tennis. Improving his game was the reason he transferred, and every decision he made centered on becoming the best athlete he could be.
“I transferred here to get a better opportunity to play tennis,” he said.
What he didn’t expect was that the lessons that would change his life wouldn’t happen on the court.
When he first arrived, Perez Canedo mostly kept to himself. After experiencing the fast pace of New York, he immediately noticed that life at Transylvania felt different. Students stopped to talk. Professors knew his name. Teammates invited him to activities. People seemed genuinely interested in getting to know him.
At first, he resisted.
“I was always so used to being by myself,” he said.
But the invitations kept coming.
Eventually, he accepted one. Then another. Before long, the quiet transfer student who planned to focus only on tennis found himself surrounded by friendships that would shape the rest of his college experience.
“I went out of my comfort zone and opened up my heart to friends,” he said. “I opened one door, and then another opened.”
Those relationships became the foundation of everything that followed.
One of those people was teammate Jordan Cordrey.
Perez Canedo remembers walking into Cordrey’s room one summer and asking for help. He had ambitious goals for himself — both on the court and in the classroom — but knew he couldn’t achieve them alone.
“I don’t think I could do this without you,” he told him.
Cordrey became more than a teammate. He became someone who taught Perez Canedo one of the most valuable lessons of his college career: how to balance athletics, academics and life. That perspective helped him understand that success wasn’t about excelling in only one area — it was about growing as a whole person.
Discovering a new academic passion in exercise science
That same growth was happening in the classroom.
When Perez Canedo transferred to Transylvania, he planned to major in finance. Then he enrolled in a health and exercise science course with professor JJ Wallace. Something clicked.
The material fascinated him. He read every assigned chapter and then kept reading long after class had ended. Books on nutrition, exercise science and human performance became more than coursework; they became a passion. He experimented with applying what he learned to his own training and discovered that he loved understanding how the body works almost as much as competing.
“I was obsessed,” he said with a smile. “In a good way.”
Wallace’s mentorship helped Perez Canedo realize he had discovered something bigger than a major. He had found a calling. He changed his major to exercise science, choosing a path that connected his love of athletics with a future helping others achieve their own goals.
Finding support to stay at Transylvania
Like many students, however, Perez Canedo’s biggest challenge had nothing to do with academics.
There came a point when he wasn’t sure he would be able to stay at Transylvania. Financial obstacles threatened to bring his college journey to an early end. He spent weeks searching for answers, knocking on doors across campus and meeting with anyone who might be able to help.
Then he walked into the Office of Financial Aid. Director of Financial Aid Jennifer Cosens worked closely with Perez Canedo and his family to find a solution that made it possible for him to continue his education.
“She gave me an opportunity to stay here,” he said. “I was able to afford it thanks to her.”
For Perez Canedo, that moment represented something much larger than financial assistance. It confirmed what he had been experiencing since the day he transferred to Transylvania: People invest in one another. Professors, teammates, coaches and staff all wanted to see him succeed.
A college experience made by others
Looking back now, Perez Canedo struggles to identify the single moment that defined his college experience because there wasn’t one. It was every conversation with a professor and practice with teammates. It was the invitations that encouraged him to step outside his comfort zone. And it was every person who reminded him that he belonged.
“I think my Transylvania experience has been made by others,” he said.
Perez Canedo came to Transylvania hoping to improve his tennis game. He left with lifelong friendships, a new academic passion, mentors who changed the direction of his life and a degree that reflects the person he has become. Most importantly, he left with something he never expected to find when he decided to transfer. A home.