Argentina Interview: Santiago Cavanagh

Santiago Cavanagh

SCavanagh@Flagler.edu

Phone: (904) 819-6415

Santiago Cavanagh came to America his freshman year of college to pursue the opportunity to play collegiate golf. In Argentina you do not get the opportunity to play a sport and go to school at the same time, so America sounded like the perfect opportunity for him. He has played golf his whole life and decided he wanted to take his playing ability to the next level. He sent out his golf resume to schools all around the U.S. and finally decided he would attend Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee, where he received a full ride golf scholarship to play. Cavanagh’s impressions of America before he arrived were what he saw on TV. The different golf courses he watched the pros play on were what he thought he would get to come here and play on. Constantly watching big golf tournaments broadcasted around the world made him realize that America is the best country to play golf and improve your game. Cavanagh chose Tennessee because it reminded him a lot of where he is from in Argentina. The small quaint atmosphere is what attracted him.

After Santiago spent a couple years in America he realized how much he really loved it here. He states that the U.S. is a lot more organized than it is back in Argentina. It was also easier for him to build a career here without the help of his family. Cavanagh believes that the American dream is still possible and achievable for everyone. He states that he is living the dream here with his wife and two kids while he gets to coach the men’s and women’s golf teams at Flagler College. “I love this area,” he states. “If I didn’t like it here I would have already moved back to Argentina.”

Cavanagh wishes that Americans knew more about his native homeland. Argentina has two of seven natural wonders in the world. The famous Iguazu Falls is a beautiful waterfall that boarders Brazil and Argentina. It is a pretty sight to see and a very safe place to visit. Another amazing wonder that is worth visiting are the glaciers. The glaciers in south Argentina are the biggest ones in the world. There are approximately 170 just in Argentina alone. The glacier Perito Moreno is the only one that moves forward and continues to grow each year. This particular one is the largest in the world and millions of people visit it each year. When you go see these glaciers, ice falls down from the top and sounds like a bomb or gun shots when the huge ice pieces hit the water. You can also experience the blue whales in Argentina as well.

Cavanagh feels that Americans are not very informed about his native country Argentina. “Not a lot of Americans know much about what goes on outside the U.S.,” he states. “There should definitely be more world geography taught in schools at a young age all the way through the college level.” When arriving to Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee, Cavanagh took a world geography class his freshman year and said that he was tested on the capitals of states and countries around the world. “This was all stuff I learned back in Argentina when I was 13 years old,” he says. This goes to show that American schooling is focused a lot more on what is going on in America, while Argentina focuses on more worldly information. Kids in Argentina are very well educated about everything that goes on in the U.S.

Human trafficking is a big issue that is going on today in Argentina. Many young girls are brought from places like Brazil and Russia and sold for sex throughout Argentina. Most of these girls are convinced they are coming to be models or promised opportunities, when really they are only brought there to be exploited.