Leading the Way

During her most difficult times, Michelle Gbelama leans on tennis. She thinks others can do the same.

“Almost everywhere I go, tennis helped me get there,” Gbelama said. “I realize all the chances this sport gave to me and I don’t take any of that for granted.”

Gbelama is now trying to share that insight and knowledge with others. Recently she started She Leads Sports LLC, an organization focused on helping high school athletes through the college recruitment process.

The process is not easy, and that’s something she learned, first-hand.

Gbelama migrated from Liberia to the United States with family to help her father manage a church he had established in Trenton, N.J. Just a year later, her father passed away.

“The experience forced me to become independent at a young age,” she said. “Being raised in a strange land by a single mother forced me to strive even more for a better future.”

She found that future with tennis.

Gbelama discovered the sport as a 16-year-old. She picked it up quickly and immediately improved. She practiced every morning on the tennis wall, and joined her high school team. Eventually, that led her to the NJTL of Trenton, which meant more practice and support.