Lyndsey Tom, one of the Kapa‘a High School seniors who graduated Friday night, has been selected as one of 52 winners nationwide to receive a $6,000 College Educational Scholarship by the United States Tennis Association Serves — Foundation for Academics.
Honorees were selected from applicants throughout the country on the basis of their commitment to academic success, their local community and the game of tennis, states a release from the USTA that made the announcement in White Plains, N.Y.
Tom was Kapa‘a High School’s No. 1 girls player, working as a singles as well as partnering for the No. 1 doubles position throughout the Kaua‘i Interscholastic Federation season.
She finished the KIF season as part of the girls champions and advanced at the state tournament through the quarter finals where she fell to Jackie Owens of Lahainaluna.
Tom, the sportsmanship award winner at the USTA G16s Zonals in 2007, served as president of the National Honor Society, captain of the Warriors tennis team and a member of the Japanese Club. She was also the winner of the Scholar Athlete award and is planning to major in chemistry.
During the summer, Tom serves as a volunteer summer tennis instructor who also pitches in to help clean beaches. The release described her as a ray of sunshine to everyone she meets.
The foundation has granted 71 high school students a variety of college scholarships totaling $379,000 this spring.
An objective of USTA Serves is to encourage America’s youth to pursue their goals and highest dreams by succeeding in school and becoming responsible citizens.
“We understand how vital financial assistance is for these deserving high school seniors as they pursue higher education,” said Karen Martin-Eliezer, chief executive of USTA Serves. “Supporting them is a sound investment.”
USTA Serves, established in 1994, supports, monitors and promotes programs that enhance the lives of disadvantaged children through the integration of tennis and education. USTA Serves actively supports individual students from all cultural and ethnic backgrounds through college scholarships and player incentive awards, encouraging children to pursue their goals and dreams by succeeding in school.
The foundation supports community tennis programs across the country that provide positive role models, academic assistance, life skills and tennis instruction to help prevent violence, substance abuse and school dropouts.
The USTA is the national governing body for the sport of tennis in the United States and the leader in promoting and developing the growth of tennis at every level.
