** by Lucia Vega & Tom LaDue**

Well you don’t have to look very far when it comes to Washington D.C. Principal Ms. Lucia Vega. Principal Vega has devoted her life to children and giving them everything in her power to help them succeed. Just a few weeks ago the USTA had the opportunity to

visit the Powell Elementary School to participate in the grand opening of two new tennis courts at the school, which the Pancho Gonzalez Youth Tennis Academy created in coordination with the DC Public Schools. The event could not have taken place without all of the work that Principal Vega and Mike Leon the director of the Pancho Gonzalez Youth Tennis Academy did behind the scenes.

The person that saw the project from just an idea to the completion was Principal Vega. When it looked like the project was not going to happen she would not take no for an answer. Principal Vega fought for the idea to give the children at the school yet another opportunity to keep them off the streets and learning some life lessons too.

When asked what tennis means to her Principal Vega replied,

Tennis means a sport in which a person can develop individually and can challenge themselves to be better. Tennis allows you to train your mind to be dedicated and to self sacrifice. As for the children, the same things that it means to me are the same things I

want for them. I want them to be disciplined, committed and to have brilliant minds. To have the hand and eye coordination, to be agile, to be aware of their surroundings and to have self determination.

Tennis means diversity for my children, they have only known soccer. For me it was more important that they only knew the discipline and behavior aspect of it, the hand-eye coordination and the training that it takes because of all of these skills will help them academically at the end.

I wanted to make sure all my children have all the resources available to them. That’s what tennis means to me.