New York, N.Y.

When I was growing up, I participated in the 15-LOVE program, which offers free tennis lessons for children ages 4 to 18 in New York’s Capital Region. The life lessons I learned from that program have helped to shape me into the person I have become today. Since 15-LOVE is a program that has been a USTA Foundation grant recipient, I knew I wanted to run with the Foundation team to give back to a program that has given me so much.

Born in Jammu Kashmir, India, I moved with my family to the United States when I was 6 years old and settled in Albany, N.Y. At the time, my family did not have the means to put me and my brother into summer camps, so when I came across a flyer at school about a free tennis program called 15-LOVE, I decided to give tennis a try. After participating in the program for a year, I was offered the opportunity to join 15-LOVE’s Excellence Program for promising students. I went on to play Division I tennis at Siena College and competed in the 2005-06 NCAA Tournament. During my senior year, I served as the varsity tennis team captain and represented Siena at the 2006 NCAA Division Leadership Conference.

After graduating from Syracuse University College of Law, I served as an associate at Harris Beach PLLC, before becoming a senior consultant at Navigant Consulting. I have served on the Capital Youth Tennis Foundation Board of Directors for the 15-LOVE program and continue to look for ways to give back to the program that has so profoundly changed my life.

This year, one year after moving to New York City, I am thrilled to be running in the New York City Marathon to support the USTA Foundation and 15-LOVE.

I greatly appreciate any support you can give me by sponsoring my run on behalf of the work of the USTA Foundation. Your support helps youth succeed in school, on the courts and in life!

Click here to support my run!