Deyon's Story

“It was an exciting day when I picked up my first tennis racquet, almost as exciting as when I received my B.A. from Williams in 2006 and became the first person in my family to graduate from college.
I loved that racquet and carried it with me everywhere. It was the most cherished of my few possessions and a symbol of my love for the game and my desire to excel. I didn’t know I had a desire to excel back then, not until WTEF showed me how much concentration, focus and discipline tennis required and how much I wanted to win.

My grandparents have raised me and given me all their love and support even while working hard to make ends meet. They wanted to keep me safe after school and encouraged me when I heard about a WTEF program where I could get instruction in both tennis and academics free of charge. I didn’t realize at the time that when I enrolled in WTEF I opened the door to a bigger world and better life for me.

You don’t just learn tennis in WTEF programs, you learn how to be a better student and a better person. It takes a lot of dedicated help to defy the odds and WTEF showed me their commitment throughout my public school years and beyond.
I still have that racquet. It reminds me that I used it first to defend myself from the gangs as I walked home after practice through Trenton Park, (an area even the police enter only in groups) and then to prove I could meet WTEF’s high expectations of me.

I’m working full time now and continue to live with my grandparents. I’m hoping to repay at least some of the many sacrifices they made for me and to save up to go to grad school. Because my ambitions haven’t ended with my degree, I’d like to become an advocate for the disadvantaged and help other kids like me.

Thank you, WTEF. I owe you a debt of gratitude I can never repay. But I hope to reinvest your financial support and faith in me by becoming an advocate for the disadvantaged and helping others kids as much as you helped me. You made the difference in turning the uncertainties of my childhood and community into a college degree and confidence in my future!”