Two Southern California high school students were honored recently by the USTA Foundation for outstanding achievement in community service and junior tennis. The USTA Foundation, which is the national charitable division of the USTA, granted a t
otal of 31 scholarship to deserving high school students totaling $300,000 in college scholarships. Congratulations go to Julia Ronney of Patrick Henry High and Eunice Lei of Scripps Ranch High.
Ronney, a recent Patrick Henry High graduate, received a $10,000 USTA Foundation College Education Scholarship for demonstrating excellence in community service, dedication to the sport and participation in USTA junior tennis. She was one of 20 recipients to receive this honor nationwide.
Eunice Lai is a recent graduate of Scripps Ranch High. She received the prestigious Eve Kraft Education & College Scholarship for $2,500 and will attend the UC Santa Barbara this fall.
Ronney’s accomplishments include participating in NJTL programs as a young beginner, and later, a volunteer coach at the NJTL site based out of the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot in San Diego. She played USTA Junior Team Tennis for eight years, and was part of the 14s Advanced squad that won the 2014 JTT National Championship. Additionally, she was named to six USTA Zonals teams and competed in the USTA Girls’ 18s Hardcourt Championships. She received the SCTA’s Most Improved Award for 2017. Ronney will attend the University of Montana this fall .
Lai helped the Falcons reach the 2016 San Diego Section Division II Final. The Eve Kraft is honor is bestowed upon two high school seniors, one male and one female, 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 2017 male recipient for this award was Julian Loera of Milwaukee, Wis.
To date, the USTA Foundati
on has awarded more than $5 million in college scholarships and player incentive awards to more than 1,000 middle school students and high school seniors. The 2018 scholarship application will be open in late December 2017. For additional information about submitting a scholarship application, please email questions to scholarships@usta.com. More detailed information regarding USTA Foundation Scholarships can be found at http://www.ustafoundation.com/grants_and_scholarships/?intloc=headernav.