Future Leaders Academy

When we first started talking about creating the Future Leaders Academy, we kept coming back to one question:

What do we hope these kids remember years from now?

Of course, we want them to become better tennis players. We want them to improve their serves, move better, compete harder, and love the game.

But if that's all they leave with, then we've missed something.

We want them to become the kind of people others want to be around. Kids who know how to work hard, who can handle mistakes without giving up, who celebrate other people's success, who lead with kindness, and who understand that character is built in the little moments.

Tennis teaches so much more than forehands and backhands. It teaches resilience. It teaches responsibility. It teaches you how to lose with grace, learn from your mistakes, and come back stronger the next day. Those are life skills, and we believe they're worth investing in.

That's why we created the Future Leaders Academy.

One of the things we are most excited about is the mentorship piece. Every participant is paired with Ohio State Women's Tennis student-athletes who become mentors throughout the year. These are young women who have worked incredibly hard to get where they are, and they have so much to share—not just about tennis, but about balancing school, handling pressure, setting goals, overcoming setbacks, and becoming confident leaders.

Sometimes the biggest impact on a young athlete comes from someone who's only a few years ahead of them.

Our hope is that every child walks away feeling seen, encouraged, and believing in themselves a little more than they did before.

What also makes this program special is that it creates opportunities for our Buckeye student-athletes as well. Every dollar invested in the Future Leaders Academy goes directly back to the Ohio State Women's Tennis players who serve as mentors, coaches, and role models throughout the program. Your family isn't just investing in your own child—you are also supporting the young women who dedicate their time, energy, and hearts to helping the next generation grow.

That's what community is all about.

The younger kids gain mentors they can look up to. Our student-athletes gain meaningful opportunities to lead and give back. Everyone grows together.

At the end of the day, a child most likely will not remember every drill practiced, but we hope they remember that someone believed in them.

We hope they remember learning that making mistakes isn't something to be ashamed of —it's part of getting better. We hope they remember setting goals, celebrating small wins, encouraging a teammate who was having a tough day, and realizing that leadership can be practiced in so many different ways with the same goal; It's about making the people around you better.

If we can help build better tennis players along the way, that's wonderful.

But if we can help build confident, kind, resilient young people who aren't afraid to work hard, make mistakes, and lead by example, then we've accomplished something much bigger than tennis.

We're not just developing better athletes. We're developing better teammates, better leaders, and better people.