Player Spotlight: Angela Ho

Like most kids, Angela Ho played a variety of sports growing up, but it wasn’t until she started tennis that she found a sport she really connected with. Ever since then, one of her biggest goals in life was to play college tennis.

Putting in years of hard work and dedication, she is now achieving that goal and will be attending and playing Division I tennis at California State University, Northridge (CSUN) this fall.

As a young player, Ho started working on her dream and competed across Northern California as a student of  Youth Tennis Advantage (YTA), a Bay Area organization dedicated to serving youth in inner-city communities through a comprehensive program of tennis and academic tutoring to empower them for leadership in their communities and success in their personal lives.

“I have been playing tennis through YTA for a little over 10 years, almost my entire tennis journey, and I came back year after year because of the people and relationships I built with everyone at the program,” Ho said. “Playing tennis and socializing with my best friends and coaches during practice really helped me grow and enjoy the sport.”

In addition to junior tournaments, Ho has been active in USTA NorCal’s Junior Team Tennis (JTT) for seven years through YTA and counts these team experiences as some of her favorite memories from over the years.

“I enjoyed playing high-level and competitive tennis, while also having the support of teammates and my coaches,” Ho shared about her experience of team tennis. “Every time I play a team tournament, whether it was with YTA or USTA NorCal, I always had the best time because I love the team environment and supporting others off and on the court.”

And when looking to continue her tennis journey in college, it was that team camaraderie mentality that she grew up with that helped her make her decision. Although the recruiting process was initially challenging due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, Ho found a school that she thought would be a perfect fit.

“I chose CSUN because of the environment and culture I felt while visiting the team,” she shared. “It felt like they were family every time they were together and the coaches at CSUN are genuine, kind, and respectful. I am excited to be playing on a team and to further my tennis career.”

Outside of tennis, Ho is looking forward to meeting new people from different cultures and backgrounds at college, and exploring classes in her other interests including coding and graphic design.

As Ho prepares for her next stage of life, she reflects back on her tennis journey and what the sport means to her.

“Tennis means so much to me because it has given me countless opportunities,” she shared. “It has taught me so many life skills like teamwork, honesty, and integrity that I will utilize for the rest of my life both in and out of tennis.”