Mawa Ballo started StreetSquash as an 11-year-old in 2007, just before the opening of the SL Green StreetSquash Center. She discovered the program through a visit to her school from then-Squash Director Katie Siegel.

She was nervous at first to attend since she had previously been playing soccer and was unsure of what to expect from this new sport. But the academic and squash staff made her feel at ease.

“My academic coach, Jade, and my squash coach, Katie, were literally the best,” Mawa said. “I had the best team. They made me feel safe, and we just bonded so easily.”

Her fondest memories of the program were the overnight trips, particularly squash tournaments played at Williams College. And it was the moments off the court that stuck out the most.

“The car rides were always so chaotic but in the best way,” Mawa said. “We would all claim seats based on who was driving—some sitting next to people they had crushes on, some sitting next to their best friends. We’d rate the coaches based on their playlists and who let us hold the aux.”

But there was fun at the destination as well.

“It was nice being at the Williams dorms with my team, our coaches speaking life into us during conversations when we had downtime, playing games like Uno with them, talking about the draw, and watching our opponents,” Mawa said. “We were always so competitive.”

Mawa also had the chance to travel abroad, including to India with Global Learning Across Borders, while also visiting other SEA programs in Jordan and Israel.

Following high school graduation in 2014, Mawa excelled on the squash team at Connecticut College, where she played number three as a freshman and then moved up to the number one spot for the remaining three years. She was active on campus outside of the squash team as well, joining SOAR (Students Organize Against Racism), Umoja (Black Student Union), Dance Club, the Caribbean Student Association, the Student Activities Council, Unity House, Eclipse, the Senior Week Committee, the ENRICH Mentor Program, the Athletics Task Force, and the House Council. She was also a Peer Mentor.

She currently works at the Hewitt School on the Upper East Side, where she serves as a fourth-grade teacher, the Lower School Institutional Equity and Global Partnerships Coordinator, and an Assistant Squash Coach. She hopes to become a dean or Assistant Principal within the next five years.

Mawa says her time at StreetSquash has had a great influence on how she meets new people today.

“I’ve been able to continuously connect with people through our shared love language: squash,” Mawa said.

She says the program taught her important life lessons, too.

“It taught me to work hard, stay resilient, and push through challenges—especially during my recovery from two Achilles surgeries,” Mawa said. “These are morals and principles I still carry with me in my everyday life, especially as an educator.”

For young students in Harlem considering something to do after school, she says StreetSquash is the place to be.

“Be open-minded, because some of the relationships you make here will literally last a lifetime,” Mawa suggests to new StreetSquash participants. “Squash is such a unique sport, and you’ll always feel connected to it in some way, shape, or form, no matter how much time passes or how long you step away from it.”