Originally published by USTA Middle States
Leading the Way
During her most difficult times, Michelle Gbelama leans on tennis. She thinks others can do the same.
“Almost everywhere I go, tennis helped me get there,” Gbelama said. “I realize all the chances this sport gave to me and I don’t take any of that for granted.”
Gbelama is now trying to share that insight and knowledge with others. She started She Leads Sports LLC, an organization focused on helping high school athletes through the college recruitment process. The process is not easy, and that’s something she learned first-hand.
Gbelama moved from Liberia to the United States with her family to help her father manage a church he had established in Trenton, New Jersey. A year later, her father passed away.
“The experience forced me to become independent at a young age,” she said. “Being raised in a strange land by a single mother forced me to strive even more for a better future.”
She found that future with tennis. Gbelama discovered the sport at 16, improved quickly, practiced every morning against a tennis wall, and joined her high school team. That led her to the NJTL of Trenton, where she found more practice and support.
“Tennis became my life and the getaway in dealing with the death of my father,” she said. “The courts were the only place where I felt like myself.”
Gbelama had little financial freedom and saw tennis as a possible path to a college education. “I applied for 100 scholarships during my senior year,” she said. “I was eventually awarded more than $50,000 in funds outside of grants and financial aid.” She was also recruited to compete at Drew University in New Jersey, where she became a standout student-athlete.
Her goal now is to share what she learned. “Scholarships and college preparation can be so overwhelming,” she said. She recalled worrying that she wasn’t good enough to play college tennis, then deciding to focus on learning the steps, asking questions, researching, and seeking help.
Gbelama and her staff have worked with more than 5,000 young people from diverse backgrounds, helping girls navigate opportunities and stay engaged in sports.
“I just hope I can share this with others and make a difference any way I can.”
Read the original full article at USTA Middle States