Alumni Spotlight: Jai Moore

Jai photographed in her New Heights jersey in 2015 (left), and again shortly after graduating college in 2020 (right).

Jai Moore first joined New Heights in 2015 while in high school, seeking a team that would welcome that would welcome her into their community. It was here that she found something she hadn’t seen with other programs on her radar, as she quickly realized it was bigger than basketball.

“New Heights [first] stood out to me, and still does, because of their dedication to their student-athletes,” Jai told us in an interview with Anna Brilliant, New Heights’ Student Success Manager. “As a young player simply looking for a good organization to join, they looked at me as more than just a basketball player, but as a person. They also really cared about everything off of the court, and emphasized those things even more than basketball. I also love the fact that they still check on me now as if I am still a student-athlete in the program.”

After graduating high school in 2016, she continued her education and basketball career at Niagara University. She would go on to play from 2016 to 2020 while pursuing a degree in Criminal Justice. Despite having an impressive college basketball career, however, her senior season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, marking an abrupt end to her collegiate career. But even with the loss of basketball and a traditional senior year, she was determined to graduate, and did so in the spring of 2020.  

Feeling like her basketball career was unfinished, Jai demonstrated remarkable resilience and went on to play professionally in Portugal. Immediately after signing with Boa Viagem-Angra-Acore, Jai stated “[w]ith me signing overseas and getting to experience this opportunity, I know it will be everything I've ever wanted. I hope people can look at me and my journey and know that they can do it too because, at the end of the day, I'm just your average girl from Brooklyn, New York that picked up a basketball one day and was able to make her dreams come true." 

Following a successful season in Portugal, Jai returned home to Brooklyn. Determining what was next for her was not easy, especially during unprecedented times. She secured a job at Planet Fitness before finding a role as a coach at Success Academy Charter School, which she says helped cultivate her passion for education and youth development. Jai’s educational background, combined with her experience as a former student-athlete, had equipped her with the skills and determination to inspire students to achieve their full potential.

This was evident when she worked as a New Heights Summer Academy Team Leader, leading the Social Justice curriculum that summer. With her education in criminal justice, Jai was able to provide valuable knowledge to our young student-athletes and frame conversations that related to their shared experiences as student-athletes. That summer Jai spent as a Team Leader, she told us, only deepened her dedication to empowering young people, particularly student-athletes.

“I literally rave about New Heights and try to connect as many young people with [the organization] as possible,” Jai said. I also try to get as many alumni connected as possible. New Heights has instilled core principles in me such as discipline and time management that I will carry with me forever. I learned to work hard everyday, trust in my team, and most importantly, never give up on myself. The life skills I acquired here are invaluable and I have taken them with me in my professional life. They have helped me become a stellar employee.”

Now, Jai serves as a College Access and Success Advisor at the Opportunity Hub in Brooklyn, where she provides mentorship, guidance, and resources to students navigating their academic and career journeys. Jai looks forward to a future where her work with student-athletes and her aspiration to become an investigative agent intersect, creating new opportunities to make a lasting impact.

“I hope to continue to impact the youth positively any chance that I can get,” Jai shared. “I also hope to further my education and utilize my Criminal Justice degree. [Additionally,] I hope to launch a business in life coaching or some form of counseling soon.”

Alumni Spotlight: Myles Balbosa

Myles photographed in his jersey during Summer Academy before leaving for his first semester at Western Connecticut University.

We had the pleasure of sitting down and speaking with one of our recent graduates, Myles Balbosa. Myles is a terrific student-athlete who spent his high school years with the New Heights College Bound program and then matriculated to Western Connecticut University this fall.

Before heading off to college, Myles wanted an opportunity to work with younger student-athletes. New Heights was thrilled when he chose to take on a Team Leader position at our annual Summer Academy day camp for middle school youth.

"I feel like it's important to give back to the community because I've been through experiences in my life where [now] I can be a teacher,” Myles explained. “I can help guide certain kids into directions they want to be."

You can watch and listen to Myles talk more about his time as a Team Leader, as well as his experience as a New Heights student-athlete, by clicking here.

Alumni Spotlight: Uta Nakamura

Uta on and off the court for New Heights.

Uta Nakamura joined New Heights in 2020 after scrolling past an Instagram post for New Heights tryouts. She decided to take a chance, leaving her old team and friends, believing she could play at the next level. Initially feeling uncomfortable, Uta made the team and was embraced as part of the New Heights family. She created lasting friendships and has capitalized on the many opportunities – athletic, academic, and professional – that New Heights offers. Uta graduated with New Heights in 2023 and now attends Smith College, where she continues to excel on and off the court.

While playing with New Heights, Uta met various alumni, a facet of the College Bound program she appreciated. And when she first began the college admissions process, one of her coaches would make calls to potential schools on her behalf, providing her with helpful advice and guidance along the way. Additionally, her coaches were very supportive, ensuring her academics were at the forefront of her recruitment. On top of that, Uta is still connected with several of the people she met and befriended at New Heights today—she continues to see and participate in workouts with one of her other previous New Heights coaches, and she has stayed in contact with past teammates and friends.

Uta (far left) pictured with ELC members Amanda Fields & Sydney Skinner, alumni Kaila Berry & Madison McCarthy, New Heights College & Career Assist Coordinator Anna Brilliant, and our 7th grade girls team after their round table discussion about adjusting to new environments and stress management.

Now an alumnus, Uta has come back to meet with our New Heights middle and high school girls' teams (pictured above). She inspired our young student-athletes by sharing her experiences with New Heights and at college, giving those following in her footsteps insight and tips on how to make adjusting to a new school or team easier and managing stress. Additionally, she was introduced to several New Heights Emerging Leader Council members, developing relationships that have expanded her professional opportunities.

Uta (back row, third from right) pictured with her colleagues at Cartier.

More recently, as a member of the College Bound program's Career Assist alumni network, Uta earned an internship with Cartier. Through working with the luxury brand’s internal communications team and completing her internship, she recognizes how playing basketball at New Heights has helped her succeed professionally, as she had already developed strong communication skills, a good work ethic and the ability to quickly adapt to new situations. She enjoys being able to work with different teams within Cartier and see her work come to fruition. Ultimately, Uta says her internship was a positive experience, which she attributes to the authenticity of the people she worked with, great leadership and a vast exposure to different career paths.

Uta inside her Cartier office in Midtown.

Reflecting on how she could have kept scrolling past the New Heights tryout post, her advice for young student-athletes is to continue to put yourself in uncomfortable situations and walk into the room even if you don't think you belong, because you never know where those situations will lead you. By putting herself in an uncomfortable situation, she has had the opportunity to play college basketball, grow professionally, be a role model for younger student-athletes and succeed in new opportunities.

Uta pictured at our round table discussion for our middle & high school girls about adapting to new environments and managing stress.

Uta is looking forward to returning to Smith College for her sophomore year, where she will continue her studies in Japanese, expand upon her career interests in Human Resources, Economics and Education, and, of course, help hoist Smith’s basketball team to further success. 

New Heights’ Philly Field Trip!

Last month, we took our middle school student-athletes on a day trip to Philadelphia for a tour of Villanova University, a visit to the Rocky steps for some motivation, an interactive science experience at the Franklin Institute, and finally a stop on the way home to support our current high school student-athletes at their playoff game!

After a quick bus ride to campus, student-athletes began their day with a tour of Villanova University, a D1 college program that is home not only to the Wildcats, but to New Heights alum and Villanova starting point guard Mark Armstrong. The tour consisted of a walkthrough of the university's beautiful campus, an explanation of where and how college students like to study, and a break for lunch that consisted of none other than Philly cheesesteaks!

New Heights student-athletes touring Villanova University’s campus.

Two New Heights student-athletes seeing how a knee works at the Franklin Institute.

After lunch, another brief bus ride took everyone to the Rocky Steps for some much needed leg-stretching and sight-seeing! Student-athletes got to see a bit of the city from the high vantage point, check out the Rocky statue at the base of the steps, and pause for some group photos at the top of the stairs!

Once everyone got a chance to document the moment with some photos, we took our student-athletes to the Franklin Institute in the heart of Philadelphia. The science museum was right up the children's alley, filled with interactive exhibits and games tailored around sports, the human body, and space.

Student-athletes had a lot of fun checking out all the cool things to do within the museum. Some of the highlights were finding out how muscles and bones work together to keep the human body functional (see above), and, of course, testing out our vertical jumps (see below)!

Student-athletes gathered around to watch each other test their vertical jump.

On our way back to Brooklyn, we made one last stop to support two current New Heights high school student-athletes—Deron Rippey Jr. and Noah Johnson—in their head-to-head matchup to qualify for the Mid-Atlantic Prep League championship game (as well as fit in a quick pizza dinner for everyone). The navy blue, red, and white was out in full force and made their presence known, cheering on both boys from tip off to the final whistle.

Despite a great effort from Noah and his Pennington School teammates, it was Deron and the Blair Academy Bucs who came out victorious. Regardless, we were happy to come out and support both boys and their teams in a great game!

Student-athletes intensely watching Deron Rippey Jr. & Noah Johnson—two 10th grade New Heights players—go at it in their playoff matchup.

And after a jam-packed day of tours, learning, and fun, we returned safely to our Brooklyn facility in the evening!

Each year we take our middle school student-athletes on a field trip outside of New York City so they can experience and learn more about opportunities available to them outside of their respective circles. Showing our young people what is possible for them to achieve and giving them guidance on how they can reach their goals is one of many ways we work to fulfill our mission of educating and empowering promising underserved youth to be leaders, champions and student-athletes by developing necessary skills as they progress through school.

We’re thrilled that everyone had a good time, and we can’t wait for next year’s field trip!