Dillan LaFrance selected for national USTA Foundation Essay Contest recognition

Dillan LaFrance was selected as one of eight winners of the 2025 USTA Foundation NJTL Essay Contest presented by Deloitte. There were more than 400 entries.

The New Orleans high school senior’s essay focused on the discipline learned from tennis to overcome a challenge. He earned a trip to attend the US Open Fan Week and an opportunity to visit with Deloitte’s representatives.

LaFrance has already had more than a few monumental moments. He said, “I am a very, very competitive person. It has really helped me to become who I am.” 

He started playing tennis when he was 7 years old. That was about the time his parents, Darrell and Tina LaFrance discovered A’s & Aces, an award-winning NJTL program, located in New Orleans’s Joe Brown Park Tennis Center. Anna Monhartova and Alvin Varnado head up the NJTL chapter.

Tina said, “My husband and I were looking for a tennis-centered program that had an academic component. It was a perfect fit.”

Dillan is a senior at Brother Martin High School in New Orleans. His path has been filled with academic and sports honors.  Discipline, motivation and a willingness to listen have pushed him both intellectually and athletically.

Louisiana high school champion

Dillan and his teammates will be looking to repeat, following up their victory as the 2024 Louisiana High School State Tennis Champions. He was named to the New Orleans All-Metro Boys Tennis Squad.

The classroom and the tennis courts are major factors in his life as he moves to the next chapter.  College recruiters and tennis coaches have Dillan high atop their list of student-athletes to meet.

When asked about his college major, he said with a self-assured voice, “I am interested in electrical engineering.”

His future is bright, and his determination is even brighter.

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James B. Ewers Jr., Ed.D., is a member of the CIAA Hall of Fame, the Black Tennis Hall of Fame and a past chair of the USTA Southern Diversity and Inclusion Committee.