In the Fall of 2022, NYJTL launched the Scholar Athlete Program. This program provides its participants with in-depth tennis and education instruction as well as college preparedness and will create the pathway to college that we believe can change the life trajectory for many NYC youth.
The Scholar Athlete Program will have a halo effect on all of NYJTL’s tennis and education program offerings, and will serve as NYJTL’s flagship program and will highlight the significant benefits of providing greater frequency and depth of services to highly engaged students.
This program provides students in grades 3-12 with academic support and top-flight tennis instruction, with the goal of 100% high school graduation and college entrance as the baseline for success to create socioeconomic mobility.
Applications are now closed and will open in 2025.
Meet the Team:
Academic and College Support
SAP will offer high-quality, personalized programming that uses a holistic approach to ensure that every student graduates high school, enrolls in college, and achieves their college degree. The program will include individualized academic support and family engagement. Core components include 1:1 tutoring, standardized test preparation, college tours, financial aid counseling, essay feedback, internships, and guidance to students and families throughout the middle, high school, and college admission processes.
Tennis Instruction
Scholar Athletes will be trained by world-class tennis coaches. Core components of the program will include coaching, court time, fitness, and life skills training on a year-round basis. Students are designated amongst four tiers all of which meet the needs of Scholar Athletes. Tiers 1 and 2 are designed for players on track to play collegiate and professional tennis, and they will receive 12-15 hours per week of programming. Tiers 3 and 4 are designed to be less intensive with 6-8 hours per week of programming with a focus on inter-scholastic competition. All our High Performance programs are level based. Students are grouped based on level
Transportation Support
All weekend programming for the Scholar Athlete Program is held at the Cary Leeds Center. Some students in Queens and Brooklyn may be assigned to satellite sites for weekday programming.
Scholar Athletes will receive a stipend to offset the cost of travel to the program sites. The stipend amount will be determined by the commuting distance and the program attendance requirements.
Criteria for Acceptance
Eligible Scholar Athletes must demonstrate financial need, complete an application, complete a tryout (held twice in late June and early August), and submit their most recent report card.
Program Requirements
Scholar Athletes must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 and participate in at least 90% of the SAP sessions. Scholar Athletes and their parents will also sign a code of conduct agreeing to good behavior. Students who do not comply with program requirements will meet with program staff and may face dismissal from the program.
The Scholar Athlete Program will teach skills to develop students’ academic success from elementary school to high school and coach them to become competitive tennis players. For questions, contact Raiyan Nafee at rnafee@nyjtl.org.