Tennis is more than a sport for me, its my community. I have been competing in tournament play since I was 8 years old.  I play both at the sectional and national level, but over the years I have found there is more to tennis than just winning, losing, points and rankings. For one, tennis develops strong diverse friendships. I was fortunate to captain my own JTT 18U team and played with friends from Springfield, Newburyport, Milton, Hingham, Norwell, Wellesley, and Newton.  I would never have had a chance to meet people from all over Massachusetts if it was not for tennis. Second, tennis is about partnership. In my freshman year of high school, I played for my high school tennis team and found that my solitary singles game was part of a bigger team goal.  That partnership led to Winsor’s first NEPSAC Class B Championship title. I learned that with partnership, tennis does not have to be a lonely sport. Lastly, tennis is about community.  In 2021, I was selected as Ball Kid for the Laver Cup and saw the inner workings of a major tennis event. At the event, I was greeted by friends throughout New England. I did not realize what a small tight community we were, until I saw so many familiar faces at TD Garden. This summer I give back to the tennis community by raising money for Advantage Kids, an organization that combines tennis and social-emotional learning to empower kids on and off the court. I hope you will help me achieve my fundraising goal of $2500 to help kids through tennis find a community of their own.  Thank you for your support!