Biography
By Jim Hague
As a youngster growing up in his native Roselle Park, N.J., Raymond Postadan wanted to play a variety of sports like any kid his age.
“I tried a lot of different sports, but they didn’t appeal to me,” Postadan said. “Then I came across tennis. I felt it had the most dimensions to it. It doesn’t matter what the score is. You are never out of it until the very last point. You can be down to the last point and if you get the next three points, you’re making a comeback. I liked tennis.”
There was another major reason why Postadan might have liked tennis first. You see, he grew up right across the street from a tennis court and a practice wall.
“It was very convenient,” said the Rutgers-Newark senior and No. 1 singles player for the Scarlet Raiders. “I also had an uncle who played. But I didn’t have many people to play with.”
So Postadan basically learned the sport by hitting the ball against the wall time and time again.
“I didn’t have to call people to come play with me,” Postadan said. “I had the wall.”
He was all of 9 years old.
“I had to play against the wall for about a year and a half before someone asked me to play with them,” Postadan said. “If you see a true beginner, you don’t want to play with him. So I had to work hard at it to get someone to play with me. I decided I was going to play as much as I could.”
Postadan played as much tennis as possible, even after he enrolled at the Academy for Information Technology, a vocational-technical school located in Scotch Plains. Since the school didn’t have a tennis team, Postadan was able to play for his hometown Roselle Park High School, where he earned All-Union County honors. Postadan was the first singles player for Roselle Park all four years of high school.
But going to school in Scotch Plains and playing in Roselle Park took a lot of travel.
“I had to work hard to catch the bus,” Postadan explained. “My coaches understood that I would be late for practice. For matches, my Dad (Reynaldo) would leave work early to take me. It was a struggle, but it was absolutely worth it.”
After Postadan graduated from high school, he decided to attend Rutgers-Newark to continue his tennis career.
He graduated from the Academy for Information Technology pretty proficient in computer language and programs.
“You took all the courses that other high school kids took,” Postadan said. “But you then took an extra course that was involved in IT and gave me exposure to IT. My freshman year, I was certified in Microsoft Office. By sophomore year, I learned the Oracle Data Base. I also learned Java Programming, so I knew a lot about computers.”
But instead of majoring in computer science at R-N, Postadan elected to major in finance and accounting.
“I’m still grateful to have been able to learn what I know now,” said Postadan, who is on pace to graduate in May.
Postadan already has experience in the work force. After his sophomore year, he accepted a co-operative position with Johnson & Johnson in New Brunswick in the finance department, working in a project management role.
“I was meeting people from all over the world,” Postadan said. “It was a great experience.”
In September, Postadan will begin his full-time work career with the major accounting firm of Ernst and Young in Manhattan in the insurance practice department.
“I’m gearing myself up for that,” Postadan said.
For now, Postadan is in the midst of his most successful tennis season at Rutgers-Newark. He owns a 5-1 record at first singles, now having won his last five matches. He also owns a 3-3 mark in doubles play, having been paired recently with Elijah Kim.
“We have a couple more young guys on the team, so it’s up to the older guys to step up our games a little and come with more energy,” Postadan said. “They’re really keeping us on our toes. What we’re able to bring is experience and a strong will to win. We’re doing whatever it takes to be successful.”
The Scarlet Raiders own a 3-3 record this season.
Postadan likes the way he has been playing.
“For the first time in my life, I feel like I’m playing within my own game,” Postadan said. “I’m not worried about what I’m doing wrong or right. I’m just playing tennis and that’s a great feeling. It’s taken a lot of hard work and a lot of understanding. I understand each point to where I just play tennis.”
Postadan believes his biggest asset in tennis is the way he attacks the net.
“I have better structure in my game when I can get to the net,” Postadan said. “I’m not good with doing many ground strokes. I go to the net, get the point, then on to the next one.”
Postadan has enjoyed this season immensely.
“It has been so absolutely rewarding,” Postadan said. “I think what’s great about the way we’re playing is the way we’ve all shared what we’ve learned and that brings everyone else up. Sure, there’s always room for improvement, but we’ve all helped each other improve and that’s great.”
Postadan is a proud member of the R-N Dean’s List and has been every semester he’s attended the school. He is carrying a 3.54 grade point average.
“I take a lot of pride in my school work,” Postadan said. “I always put 100 percent into my school work, maybe even more.”
It’s that work ethic that helped Postadan land the co-op with Johnson & Johnson and later the full-time position with Ernst and Young. It’s a story of hard work paying off. Little did Postadan know, but heading out to that practice wall to teach himself how to play tennis might have been the best move he ever made.
“I don’t regret a single thing,” Postadan said.
