Upon completion of 6th form, and fifteen years of tennis at the Anguilla Tennis Academy under her belt, on Thursday, 27th July, Rhonica Connor celebrated her journey and acceptance into Washington and Lee University through a Questbridge Scholarship. It is a small liberal arts college in Virginia known for its personal and engaging undergraduate experience.
The tennis program is Division 3, and the Anguilla Tennis Academy, has allowed Ms. Rhonica Connor to gain a placement on the Washington and Lee University Women’s Tennis team when she arrives there this Fall. This has allowed her to become the 15th graduate of the Anguilla Tennis Academy (ATA) programme to use tennis as a vehicle for further development at university level.
The ceremony in celebration of her journey of thankfulness to the ATA was chaired by Ms. Dahlia Shields. The agenda items included a prayer by Tr. Natasha and welcome remarks by Ms. Shields. Mr. Mitchelle Lake, the founder of the ATA, gave brief remarks, as he has been a significant mentor in Rhonica’s life, ever since she started playing tennis at the ATA at the age of five. Coach Mitch mentioned the ATA’s progress, achievements and how many young lives the academy has shaped since 1996.
The Anguilla Tennis Academy is a positive outlet in Anguilla, granting all participants opportunities to network, compete and travel. Mr. Jamyoi Hodge also presented a touching poem about the impact a coach can have on a student and how valuable that relationship is for athletes.
Tributes followed, with a speech by Ms. Jharia Webster, who was the 14th ATA scholarship recipient, as well as a speech by Ms. Savannah Croft, who has been in the ATA’s Programme for approximately a decade as well. The song, ‘Never Would Have Made It’ by Marvin Sapp was beautifully performed by Mr. Pierre-Jai Lake. A documentary, prepared by Coach Shridath was also presented about Rhonica’s journey at the Anguilla Tennis Academy from childhood to present.
Afterwards, tokens of appreciation were presented to the five coaches at the ATA who worked with Rhonica in the last year as she trained for collegiate tennis. These coaches included Coach Shri, Coach George, Coach Calyde, Coach Tristin and Coach Mitch. Rhonica is extremely thankful for the work that they put in with her and for guiding her on this journey. She is also extremely grateful to Coach Chris, who trained her and Jharia in Texas earlier this year, and for paving the way as a collegiate tennis player on the team.
The ATA is an institution that bears the name of Anguilla and for that reason it is incumbent on Anguillians at home and abroad to support its efforts so that future generations can receive similar opportunities. In the closing remarks, Ms. Shields praised the ATA for the outstanding work they are doing to transform the island socially, and especially with shaping the lives of our young people in Anguilla.
The ceremony culminated with a vote of thanks by Rhonica Connor who thanked everyone for their support including GAF, Tr. Amber Woodley for her decorations, Ciao Cafe for their food catering, Ms. Leneta and Ms. Dahlia for their plants, Tr. Sandra York Gumbs for the podium, those on the program for allowing the celebration to truly come to life, Ms. Janine Edwards and Ms. Ann Jeffrey for their significant assistance in organizing everything, Mr. Rhon Connor for assistance with refreshments, the students at the ATA who helped to set up the venue, Mr. Draidahn Lico for the photos and the many many volunteers who helped to make this special event a success.
Aside from the ceremony itself, Rhonica would like to extend gratitude to Tr. Anita Ruan and Ms. Abigail Proctor for being instrumental in her application process through the Questbridge program to attain the scholarship. She is also extremely grateful to all of her coaches for their hard work and dedication, and Ms. Jharia Webster for being a phenomenal training partner and source of inspiration.
Rhonica ended her remarks by saying, “In conclusion, this journey has been nothing short of transformative, and I will forever cherish the memories and experiences here at the ATA that have shaped me into the person and player I am today.”
