- November 2019
Personal Statement
My career highlight in tennis was winning the International School Sports Tournament (ISST) singles as a freshman competing against 12 International schools across Europe. I returned to the ISST this year fully intent on defending my championship and fell short in the finals in 3 tough sets. Not the result I was expecting and while hugely disappointing, I came away with a renewed commitment to my training and a determination to take my game to the next level in order to reclaim the title next year.
In 2021, I will be returning back home to FL, USA .I am an American citizen born in Tokyo and living in London with aspirations to attend a top academic university with a competitive tennis program when I graduate from high school in 2021. I currently attend the American School of London (ASL).
I have been involved in a broad range of sports and activities while growing up, skiing, skateboarding and basketball. I received my SCUBA license at age 11.
I was playing tennis on grass in the back yard of our house when I was 3 years old thanks to my parents who are avid tennis players and fans. I found myself roaming around tennis courts at a young age and begging people to hit the ball with me. Eventually, my parents decided to teach me and soon I wanted to compete in tournaments. I was lucky to grow up competing in the USTA Florida section where I eventually reached state (Top 20 under 12’s) and national rankings (Top 100’s under 12’s). I attended the Bolles School in Jacksonville where I trained under the guidance of Brian Gottfried and his team. Brian was in charge of the tennis program at my school and was a great mentor. In addition to tennis I developed a liking for basketball and started as a sophomore at ASL varsity team. I enjoy participating in a team sports and the great chemistry on the court with my team.
My Dad’s job assignment took us to London in 2015 when I was 13. The move brought all kind of adjustments to my life, my school schedule and of course new challenges in sports. The new environment played a big role in my development, something I did not recognized initially. I had to start at the very bottom of the tennis rankings in a completely new system and work my back up. It was a very humbling experience.
Fast forward four years living abroad, I am now ranked UTR 11.67 and steadily climbing the LTA (Lawn Tennis Association) rankings in both Boys 18 (top 106) and Men’s Open (top 231). I am a member of my school tennis and basketball varsity teams. I represent my club teams for the UK regional and national team championships in singles and doubles competition. These are the highest level of team competition in the UK which I enjoy immensely and believe it will prepare me for university level tennis competition.
Currently, I am researching different options for my main studies in university and enjoy the math, physics and technology. I enjoyed competing in friendly ruby’k cube speed solving competition, pi memorization, building computers and other technical challenges. This summer I completed an internship at Barclays Bank in London and learned quite a bit about the complicated world of finance.
Outside sports and school, I enjoy very much playing the piano and even performing in hip hop dance showcases. Something really different but lots of fun.
