Five exceptional students from Queens received scholarships for their tennis skills at New York Junior Tennis & Learning’s (NYJTL) 36th annual Mayor Dinkins Cup.
The Mayor Dinkins Cup is the nation’s largest free junior interscholastic tennis tournament, attracting hundreds of young players from about 200 schools across all five boroughs.
From June 1st to June 9th, 550 students from grades 3-12 participated in the weeklong tennis tournament at the Cary Leeds Center in the South Bronx.
The local scholarship winners included Alex Chan and Christian Torres-Juarez, who received the Louis Marx Jr. Educational scholarship, and Austin Huang, Juliana Londono, and Henry Cuamani Moyotl, who received the Gavrin Family Foundation Inc. Scholarship.
For the past 36 years, youngsters have competed in the competition that was renamed in honor of New York City’s first Black mayor. The event offers a week of individual and team competitions for elementary, middle, and high school students. The competitions lead up to a closing ceremony celebration dubbed “Family Finals Day,” which awards scholarships to 13 students that showcase excellence on and off the tennis court.
Udai Tambar, President and CEO of New York Junior Tennis & Learning, said this year’s Mayor Dinkins Cup was a resounding success. “The Mayor Dinkins Cup gives hundreds of kids the opportunity to partake in a week of friendly competition with their peers, all while earning prizes, spending time with family, and strengthening their tennis skills. This year, we were able to award $140,000 in scholarships to youth who have demonstrated what it means to be a scholar and an athlete on the court and away from it. Thanks to all who make this work possible.”
Since 1971, NYJTL has transformed lives through tennis, education and character development programs. Currently, NYJTL is the largest youth tennis and education non-profit in the United States and services over 85,000 K-12 youth in NYC.
In 2022, NYJTL launched its Scholar Athlete Program, which offers youth in grades 3-12 in-depth tennis instruction, educational enrichment, and college preparedness. The goal of 100% high school graduation and college entrance is to create socioeconomic mobility.
Below is a list of all of the scholarship winners:
Louis Marx Jr. Educational Scholarship
- Alex Chan (Queens)
- Onyx Fletcher (Bronx)
- Daniel Rodriguez (Bronx)
- Chantajah Mills (Manhattan)
- Autumn Clarke (Brooklyn)
- James Walsh (Brooklyn)
- Christian Torres-Juarez (Queens)
Victor Kiam “Going For It” Scholarship
- Olivia Lopez (Westchester)
Gavrin Family Foundation Inc. Scholarship
- Adrian Neequaye (Bronx)
- Jeremy Victoria (Bronx)
- Austin Huang (Queens)
- Juliana Londono (Queens)
- Henry Cuamani Moyotl (Queens)
