“Every racket you put in a child’s hand is another opportunity for a success story.”
Those are the words of Birlette Jelks, president of the Greenville, Miss., National Junior Tennis and Learning (NJTL) chapter — one of the more than 250 nonprofit youth development organizations that offer free or low-cost tennis and education programming to over 150,000 under-resourced youth each year in the United States.
One of those success stories is Nyesha Nealon. Nyesha and her twin sister Myesha grew up in Greenville where they started playing tennis at the age of 11 through a Greenville NJTL program that was recently named the 2024 USTA Southern NJTL Chapter of the Year.
Today, Nealon is a 23-year-old recent college graduate who is beginning a career in accounting. She credits the Greenville NJTL for helping her earn a collegiate tennis scholarship and launching her on a pathway to success.
“I owe so much to the NJTL program here in Greenville,” Nealon said. “It provided me and my sister with incredible opportunities to grow both on and off the court. I grew a lot as a tennis player, obviously, but I also grew so much as a person with the lessons that tennis teaches you. The program has positively impacted so many kids in the area like us.”
Jelks, a PTR certified teaching pro, is a former collegiate player at Alcorn State University and U.S. Army sergeant who has been teaching tennis for more than four decades in the Mississippi Delta community of approximately 30,000 that sits adjacent to the Mississippi River.
Under Jelks’ leadership, the NJTL programs in Greenville annually reach from 50-100 children, ranging in ages from 6 to 18.
“I’ve seen first-hand the impact that tennis can have on young people — the self-confidence, believing in yourself and realizing that you can do something that you once didn’t think was possible,” Jelks said. “Many of our children come from low-income families and they haven’t had a lot of opportunities. Through tennis, we try to instill in the children the importance of education and respect, and with those two things as a foundation you can go far in life.”
Like most beginners, Nealon said she struggled when she first began playing tennis through the Greenville NJTL.
“I didn’t like it because I wasn’t any good at it,” Nealon said. “But it wasn’t long before I started seeing progress and it quickly became fun. I enjoyed the competitive part of it, but I also liked meeting new people outside of my school.”
She and her sister quickly realized that tennis was helping in other areas of their lives.
“Learning tennis just gave us so much confidence that we could learn other new things if we just stuck to it,” Nealon said. “It showed us that we could learn new skills and to not be afraid of trying new things. I think that attitude helped us in school and in other areas.”
Jelks and his staff put on free clinics on Saturday mornings as well as conduct summer clinics. The Greenville NJTL chapter also participates in the NJTL Regional Leadership Camps and the annual Arthur Ashe Essay Contest, which Nealon won twice.
“Going to the leadership camps and taking part in the essay contests are not things you would necessarily associate with tennis, but they were so helpful to us,” Nealon said. “I don’t think we realized it at the time, but those things were preparing us for college.”
Like the Nealon sisters, the program has helped propel numerous students to college, many of whom received tennis and academic scholarships.
“We begin talking to them about college at an early age,” Jelks said. “We try to point them in the right direction and have them begin thinking about college and how to get there. We have these one-on-one or small group conversations about what a particular college has to offer, what should you be looking for, and just making sure they’re on the right timeline for admission.”
Jelks said he is driven “to give back what tennis has given to me.” His family received the 2004 USTA Southern Mickey McNulty Family of the Year.
“I’ve loved the game my entire life and both of my children, Brittany and Brian, played high-level junior tennis in the South and then NCAA Division I tennis,” he said. “Tennis has been such a big part of our lives, and I want to give something back to a sport that has given me so much.”
Nealon is also giving back to the sport by coaching junior players and volunteering on the state and local level, including with the Greenville NJTL chapter.
“When I’m out there with the kids, it’s a full-circle moment for me,” Nealon said. “It reminds me of when I was that age. Seeing their enthusiasm for the game is so rewarding and really takes me back to when I was a kid out there. I enjoy sharing my personal story with them and letting them know that I struggled at first too. Being able to help out with a program that had such an impact on me is amazing.”
Nealon said she is thankful that she and her sister got involved in the Greenville NJTL program more than a dozen years ago.
“Over the years, tennis has not only been a source of personal joy and fulfillment but has also taught me valuable life lessons like discipline and sportsmanship,” Nealon said. “The program has had such a positive impact on so many young students and I’m so glad we got involved with it. The program is truly like a family and tennis is a sport you can play forever.”
{Note: This was written by Larry Ish used with permission of the author.}
