The USTA Foundation is proud to announced that it will award nearly four dozen high school seniors scholarships to continue their academic careers at colleges and universities around the country.
Each year, the USTA Foundation awards scholarships to deserving youth who have participated in USTA and other organized tennis programs, such as the National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) network, have demonstrated high academic achievement and require financial assistance for matriculation. This year's awardees hail from a diverse range of backgrounds, including nearly two dozen different NJTL programs.
“We couldn’t be more proud of the scholarship awardees this year who in these challenging times have continued to step up and demonstrated not only academic excellence but leadership and community service when it was needed the most,” said Dan Faber, Executive Director, USTA Foundation. “We wish them all the best in their new chapter, and are looking forward to seeing all the great things they will accomplish on and off the court.”
Below is a list of this year’s scholarships and awardees:
Marian Wood Baird Scholarship Award (student receives $15,000 award)
Awarded to one high school senior who has excelled academically, demonstrated achievements in leadership and participated extensively in an organized community tennis program, the Marian Wood Baird Scholarship was created by the Baird family and named in honor of the late Marian Wood Baird, who had been recognized by the USTA for more than 40 years of volunteer service. The 2021 recipient is Madelyn Oconitrillo (NJTL of Indianapolis).
Dwight F. Davis Memorial Scholarship (students each receive $10,000 award)
The Dwight F. Davis Memorial Scholarship is granted to two high school seniors who have performed with distinction and have actively participated in extracurricular activities, community service and an organized tennis program. The award is named for Dwight Filley Davis, who began playing tennis at the age of 15 in 1894. In 1900, the year he graduated from college, Davis purchased a commemorative silver bowl as a prize for an international lawn tennis competition, marking the birth of the Davis Cup. Davis became president of the U.S. Lawn Tennis Association in 1923. His grandson, Dwight F. Davis III, created the scholarship to honor his grandfather’s achievements and contributions to tennis. The 2021 recipients are Nicholas Peschier (First Serve Bridgeport) and Mya Sudduth (MaliVai Washington Youth Foundation).
Dwight Mosley Scholarship Award (students each receive $10,000 award)
This scholarship was named in memory of Dwight A. Mosley, the first African American elected to the USTA Board of Directors. The Dwight Mosley Scholarship is available to high school seniors of ethnically diverse heritage who have excelled academically and participated extensively in an organized community tennis program. Applicants must demonstrate sportsmanship on and off the court. The 2021 recipients are Tory Bailey (Pete Brown Junior Tennis Program) and Chloe Vuong (Youth Tennis Advantage). Bailey received an additional $5,000 for his participation in the USTA Foundation's Excellence Team program totaling $15,000 in scholarships.
Rosalind Walter Scholarship Award (students each receive $10,000 award)
This scholarship is named in honor of the late Rosalind Palmer Walter, who was responsible for funding the first USTA Foundation scholarship in 1994, well before a comprehensive program was put in place. Mrs. Walter’s commitment to tennis and education didn’t stop with her service to the USTA Foundation Board. She served on the Board of the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Long Island University, and was a Trustee of WNET Channel Thirteen and The Paley Center for Media. During World War II, Mrs. Walter was a riveter, where she worked the night shift on a Corsair, building the F4U marine gull-winged fighter airplane and is the inspiration for the 1942 song "Rosie the Riveter." She took tremendous pride knowing that the hard work, dedication and precision she put into her job helped save lives. The 2021 recipients are Oneil Burns (NJTL of Trenton)and Ginger Johnson (Washington Tennis & Education Foundation).
Eve Kraft Education & College Scholarship (students receive $2,500 award)
The Eve Kraft Education & College Scholarship is bestowed upon two high school seniors who have excelled academically, meaningfully served their communities, played tennis in an organized program and who reside in an economically disadvantaged community. This scholarship is named in memory of Eve Kraft of Princeton, N.J., a tennis pioneer who introduced thousands of young people to tennis, particularly in disadvantaged areas. The 2021 recipients are Grace Hamburg (USTA Adaptive Tennis volunteer) and Linden Patterson (USTA Southern volunteer).
Nora McNeely Hurley Leadership Award (students receive $10,000 award)
The Nora McNeely Hurley Leadership Award is bestowed upon two high school seniors, one male and one female, who have demonstrated exceptional leadership and tennis skills, up to $10,000 each, and will be celebrated along with the 2021 National Essay Weekend winner activities in NYC. The 2021 recipients are Anthony Garcia (New York Junior Tennis & Learning) and Eve Moore (South Atlanta Community Tennis Association). Moore received an additional $5,000 for her participation in the USTA Foundation's Excellence Team program totaling $15,000 in scholarships.
Professional Tennis Management (PTM) Scholarship (students receive $10,000 award)
The USTA Foundation offers a scholarship targeting those High School seniors who exhibit a passion for tennis and plan on seeking a Professional Tennis Management degree at one of the schools offering this program. A $10,000 scholarship will be awarded to two students enrolled in either a four-year program or a graduate program at a Professional Tennis Management school. The 2021 recipients are Logan Davis (USTA Southern) and Troy Rondeau (USTA Northern California).
Donald Lawson Tisdel Scholarship (students each receive $10,000 award)
The USTA Foundation annually awards the college education scholarship to high school seniors who have excelled academically, demonstrated community service and participated in an organized tennis program. In 2017, the USTA Foundation named its largest college scholarship fund– The Donald Lawson Tisdel College Scholarship Fund. Tisdel was a passionate proponent for the sport and a staunch believer in the power of tennis and education to touch and enhance lives. These scholarships will be awarded annually to 20-25 high school seniors who have excelled academically, demonstrated community service and participated in an organized tennis program such as National Junior Tennis and Learning.
This year’s Donald Lawson Tisdel Scholarship recipients are:
The recipients of the Novo Nordisk Donnelly Scholarships, founded by Billie Jean King in 1998 and supports student-athletes with diabetes, will be announced in September. For more information about USTA Foundation scholarship opportunities, click here, and for a list of past scholarship winners, click here.