Nisaja Thomas '20 Recruiting Profile

As a little girl, I was known as a “busy body”. I was always into everything, and would hardly relax unless I was asleep. At an early age, my parents directed all of my energy towards being an athlete.  I was 5 years-old when I first entered the world of sports by participating in my local city league basketball team.  Shortly after, I fell into the arena of soccer, softball, track, and tennis.  While playing these sports I gained the discipline it took to become a great athlete.  I loved the rush of adrenaline I felt while playing each sport, but only one spoke to my heart…to my purpose.  Since the day I swung my first racquet, I knew this sport was for me. I have grown both mentally and physically within the walls of the most beautifully played sport-- the sport of tennis.

As expected, during my first year of tennis I was able to pinpoint my weakness while playing.  In the middle of playing a match, I would become extremely frustrated when I made a mistake with my serve, return, forehand, and/or a backhand. (I’ve always been my worst critic.) In lieu of not letting the play go, I would allow my mind to affect my next serve.  That mindset became the difference between winning and losing my match.  Immediately, I realized this was an issue for me to resolve. I had to turn this negative into positive energy. To stay stuck mentally with what I did wrong prior would cause me the entire match.  I had to remain not only quick on my feet, quick with my swing, but alert with my mind. I realized with tennis, I had to learn and grow with each swing. Counteracting this flaw gave me the capability to serve balls confidently at a faster speed, return powerful shots, and tap into the fearless tennis player that I am today. My parents taught me at a young age that “anything worth having, is worth working for”-- and tennis is no different!

While playing tennis in school, I have received several yearly awards such as Most Valuable Player, Hustle Award, and Coach’s Award-- just to name a few.  I am a well-rounded student with a strenuous weekly schedule.  I have maintained a high GPA while juggling honors classes, tennis, basketball, and track-and-field. Post high school, I plan to pursue a collegiate degree in sports medicine while chasing my dreams of becoming a Professional Tennis player. During my spare time, I enjoy listening to music, motivational speakers, and writing poetry.  In addition, I am always trying to enhance my tennis strategies by watching professional matches on television with my family.  

The one factor that wakes me up in the morning that pushes me, even more, when times seem that they are hard, and beyond the point of giving up is my little brother –Benjamin. Benjamin has special needs and was diagnosed with a very rare syndrome that affects his mobile, verbal and cognitive skills. Knowing there is always room for improvement I remain humble and always have open ears. I believe I have the ability to be apart of your team and contribute to its future success, I won't let you down!