Aniecia Brewster
MC Contributor/Staff Writer
For Karina Saeri Ono, it’s more than just a match on the tennis court at Jackson State University. Ono, a senior and women’s tennis player, will be receiving her Bachelors of Business Management in April of 2016.
Ono came to Jackson State after she graduated from junior college in Kansas. Looking for a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division 1 team where she could get a full ride scholarship, continue her career in tennis, and finish her bachelor’s degree, Ono chose JSU.
While Ono was searching for the right school to attend, she saw the JSU tennis schedule and had the opportunity to watch the team play and noticed they played a lot of Student Athletic Advisory Committee schools, which would give her the chance to get some extra experience and learn more about tennis in college.
Ono plans to pursue a professional career in tennis while still in the United States. She’s ready to see what opportunities she will face but she plans to get a job with her degree, work on her Optional Practical Training, and start graduate school.
While on the tennis court, Ono, expects to perform her best in her matches and for her teammates to succeed too.
Ono played in the national championship for the National Junior College Athletic Association in 2012 during her junior college career.
She expects herself to have a good attitude on the court and perform better than her previous season.
“For this year, I plan on doing good for the round-ups and the championship at the end of the season as well. The team is working for the first round up and for this year we plan to win the conference and get a ring,” said Ono.
She rehearses strategies, execution, and feelings for every competition. She feels that her strategies are important not only for tennis but for any sport in general. She always tries to see in her mind a good match that she played before or focus more on what she is supposed to do and make sure not to make the same mistakes.
The men’s and women’s tennis team gained a new head coach Lois Alexis, during fall 2015. Ono described her as a very good person, very positive, high energy and potential. Ono stated that she has already got involved with the whole team and she embraced the idea and goal they had previously, which is getting a ring for this season. Coach Alexis makes the tennis team work hard together.
Ono definitely feels that her sport is a good preparation for her life.
“I am having an amazing opportunity to study in a foreign country, add another language, meet new people, different cultures, countries, and have a lot of experience. Tennis helped me a lot with being disciplined, responsible, organized, respectful and lead with losses,” said Ono.
“I hope at the end of the season everybody can be happy with their performance and I really hope we achieve the SWAC championship for 2016,” said Ono.
Be First to Comment