I moved from Peru to the US at 17 on a tennis scholarship. 8 years later, an H-1B layoff sent me home.

Luciana Pereyra, now 25, moved to the US at 17 on a tennis scholarship Provided by Luciana Pereyra Luciana Pereyra moved to the US from Peru at 17 on a tennis scholarship for her undergraduate and MBA degrees.

Even after building a life in Columbus, the uncertainty of working on an H-1B visa made it hard to fully relax.

Earlier this year, at 25, she lost her job, returned to Peru, and began rebuilding her career.

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Luciana Pereyra, a 25-year-old Peruvian national who moved to the US at 17 on a tennis scholarship, lost her H-1B-sponsored job in 2025, and had to return to Peru.

It has been edited for length and clarity.

I was born and raised in Lima, Peru, and I've been into tennis since I was 7, when my dad first took me to a court five minutes from our house.

My parents had always wanted me to play a sport.

I started competing when I was around 11, and by 14, I was watching older girls from my club go to the US on tennis scholarships .

I wanted that, too.

An agency connected me with US college coaches, and I sent them a video of myself playing in tournaments across South and Central America.

I chose a school in the US based on what it offered.

This is part of our ongoing coverage of how the Trump administration's H-1B visa changes affect workers.

If you've been impacted and want to share your story, please fill out this short form for the reporter.

I moved to the US at 17 on an F-1 student visa I spent my first year at Middle Georgia State University, then transferred to the University of Findlay in Ohio.