Ramy Bekheit NJTL of Trenton, Inc. 02/21/94 7 years with NJTL Robbinsville, NJ 8th Grade – A’s & B’s USTA Boy’s 14’s #409 Playing tennis is my life and joy. Nonetheless, our family has always stressed balance; competitive tennis, while a great love, cannot cause me to lose sight of family, school, and caring about friends and family. I believe that this balance and sense of belonging will help separate me from my peers over the next few years. As the pressures of growing into a teenager combine with the demands of playing at the highest competitive levels, I will be better prepared to deal with the ups and downs which I will inevitably face.

Shinann Featherston New York Junior Tennis League 06/08/90 10 years with NJTL Rockaway, NY Senior—GPA: 3.6 USTA Girl’s 18’s #9 Shinann enjoys playing tennis with her family who all play tennis. Her off court activities include working with Special Olympians here and away at camps.

Denis Kudla Junior Tennis Champions Center 08/17/92 6 years with NJTL Arlington, VA 10th Grade – A’s & B’s USTA Boy’s 16’s #10 Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Denis now resides in Arlington, VA. His highest ranking was #1 in USTA Boys 14’s. Denis’ ambition is to become a successful person and live a great life. He would also like to go pro and become #1 on the ATP tour. His favorite sports are tennis, football, basketball, and golf. Science is his favorite subject in school.

Carlin Murray Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis & Education Center 03/16/90 4 years with NJTL Philadelphia, PA 12th Grade – 3.0 USTA Boy’s 14’s #114 As a player it is always beneficial to be in contact with those people who can provide you with a positive prospective. The NJTL /AAYTC’s programs have been the arena for this to occur. I was honored to be selected as a Goodstein Junior Leader. It has been very rewarding to volunteer throughout the year on various projects at the AAYTC. At Haverford, I play # 1 on the Varsity Tennis Team. My educational expectations is to continue to learn to integrate all my academic subjects into daily living, and acquire the necessary tools to prepare me for college. My goal is to attend a Top-Ranked College and major in Biology and play Tennis. I hope to obtain a Tennis Scholarship, so my parents will not have to take any more loans. I am striving to be successful in today’s society, by obtaining the best education I can.

Taylor King Harlem Junior Tennis & Education Program 09/10/92 9 months with NJTL Roosevelt, NY 10th Grade – 92 Eastern Girl’s 16’s #117 My parents introduced me to tennis when I was ten years old. Before tennis I spent most of my time with art, music and gymnastics. Tennis became something else I was excited about. Nine (9) months ago, I tried out and was accepted by the Harlem Junior Tennis High Performance Program. I’ve become a much better player and a better person since then. Harlem Junior Tennis has become a second home to me. I excel in school, making honor roll every marking period. I still love music and art. I play for the chamber orchestra and I am in an advanced art class. Tennis has taught me to be more confident and that you do get out of everything what you put in.

Junior Ore Junior Tennis Champions Center 09/08/92 7 years with NJTL Gaithersburg, MD 10th Grade – A’s & B’s USTA Boy’s 16’s #32 Junior achieved his highest ranking as #2 in USTA Boy’s 14’s, and with Denis Kudla formed the #1 doubles team. Junior aspires to be the best tennis player that ever lived and the best person that he can be. When he isn’t playing tennis he is playing soccer and basketball and hanging out with friends. History is his favorite subject.

Darien Sears Prince George’s Tennis & Education Foundation 05/13/92 10 years with NJTL Silver Spring, MD 10th Grade – 3.8 Mid-Atlantic Girl’s 16’s #47 I began playing tennis when I was 5 years old with the Prince George’s Tennis & Education Foundation. My highest ranking in the 14’s division was 28. Tennis means the world to me because I love the competition, the experiences throughout the last nine years have been amazing and I love the family I’ve gained with PGTEF. I also play the violin and have performed for various groups including seniors. I speak French and plan to travel to France as an exchange student in the spring of 2008.

Taylor Townsend Tennis In Motion, Inc. 04/16/96 3 years with NJTL Jonesboro, GA 8th Grade – A’s & B’s USTA Girl’s 12’s #55 One of my career highlights was winning the USTA National Girl’s 12’s Doubles. I love to cook, read, write, and draw. Tennis to me is like a mother to a child, I can’t do without it because it has taught me a lot. When I first began this sport I knew it would be hard, but as I got older I realized that it was my dream, and that is why I love the game so much.

Asika Isoh (Alternate) New York Junior Tennis League 03/07/93 6 years with NJTL New York, NY 8th Grade – A’s & B’s : USTA Boy’s 14’s #45 I paired up with the Governor of New York, Elliot Spitzer and won in a doubles duel against Shinann Featherston and Mayor David Dinkins. In my spare time I love to read and create a lot of noise on the piano. Tennis teaches me the lessons of life: how to compete, how to focus, how to plan, how to be patient, and how to appreciate others and their talents. It also improves my inter-personal relationship with people from other cultures and how to be an effective member of a team. Finally it enhances my chances of becoming either a professional tennis player or a medical doctor.