By Terry Godbold, ALTA Foundation President
Not only was he a tennis coach, but Bryan Shepherd was also a light for many who frequented the tennis courts, fields, and trails of Mountain Park. Bryan impacted the lives of so many people in many different ways. His words of wisdom impacted both young and old. He often shared that “learning and having fun are not mutually exclusive, so find your niche and live in it.” Bryan’s impact on the Atlanta tennis world is immeasurable. His love of the game lives on through his students, teammates, and friends who watched him play, coach, and care immensely about those around him.
In his honor, The ALTA Foundation is pleased to award the “Legacy of Light” scholarships focusing on graduating high school students who played on a Title I high school tennis team and who will be attending an accredited college, university, or technical school of their choice. The 2026 recipients are:
Cadence Gilyard (Atlanta) graduated from Booker T. Washington High School and will be attending Florida A&M University in the fall. She was in the top 10 percent of her senior class and was the STAR student of her class. She is interested in pursuing a nursing degree and, while in college, becoming an athletic training student aide or completing training to become an EMT.
Myra Wu (Peachtree Corners) graduated from Paul Duke STEM High School and played tennis at Norcross High School, a sister school to Paul Duke. Myra will be attending Georgia Tech in the fall. She was ranked #2 in her graduating class and plans to study biomedical engineering. She is also an accomplished pianist and spent the past few years teaching piano to younger kids.
The ALTA Foundation held a ceremony to honor the two scholarship recipients on June 19, which happened to be Bryan’s birthday!
