A rising Tennis star aces it all way to a Division 2 college scholarship

Heena Kewalramani, a NIST Year 13 student who is a passionate tennis player, received a scholarship offer from Long Island University’s C.W. Post campus which is an NCAA division 2 school in New York. The eighteen year old student applied for scholarships at a number of Division 2 and Division 3 universities in the US in early January 2013 and received the offer she was waiting for in February. The scholarship offer she received was her first choice. Notably, Heena has received both a sports scholarship and a partial academic scholarship of USD 10,000. When asked why she has chosen New York, Heena mentioned two main factors: being close to her family members who live in that area and being close to a NIST alumnus who preceded her in receiving a sports scholarship in 2012 and now studies at and plays soccer for Hofstra University in New York.

Starting at the age of eight, Heena has always had a passion for Tennis and was very determined to excel in her favourite sport. From around the age of 13, she has had her mind set on playing college tennis in the US. She has always envisioned herself playing tennis far beyond her secondary school years.

Although the final two years of the IB Programme are rigorous and challenging, Heena has truly applied herself both academically and in Tennis. She has excelled as a result.

When asked who has played an important role in supporting her tennis, Heena said her uncle and her school, NIST. From the beginning, Heena’s uncle has always provided tremendous support, accompanying her to games and cheering her on. On top of her uncle’s support, she feels that without the support from NIST, she would not have come this far. NIST has given her a great deal of exposure and support in her journey with Tennis. During SEASAC competitions across South East Asia, she has been exposed to a great array of athletes from other schools who share the similar goal of becoming college athletes. Heena has been inspired by these connections with likeminded athletes and greatly values the relationships she has made.

Her lasting note before Heena excused herself to go practise tennis for the day was, “a lot of people at NIST, even though they excel at certain sports, they don’t tend to follow them through to the university years. I believe that if you are good enough for that level, you should continue. You could always play sports and study at the same time and never to quit after graduation day. To have a passion in a sport really keeps you on track and helps you avoid any negative temptation that you might find yourself in if you don’t have or stick to your passion. For me, I know that my passion lies in tennis. My next goal once at the university would be to try to be an asset to my team at the college and help them reach their potential and eventually to bring fame to the college”.

NIST International School is proud of its empowered athletes who have excelled in a great variety of sports and have been offered sporting scholarships at top universities around the world.