MEET THE TEAM
ANNA PERSAUD, MPH
FOUNDER & DIRECTOR
Founder and Director, Anna Persaud, created Swish 2 Success to ensure that every participant reaches their full potential through direct access to tutoring, quality mentorship, genuine support and encouragement, and skills training. Her mission remains clear – empower the youth to maximize their potential, specifically through a safe environment and proper guidance among people who truly support, care, and deliver.
“I am incredibly passionate about the foundation’s mission, and this is something that has long been on my heart to facilitate in our community. Our future leaders are depending on us for guidance and assistance, and it is our responsibility to not only lead them down the right path but provide much needed resources, too,” Anna explains.
Swish 2 Success was founded with the success of our children in mind – for children to have the freedom and resources to practice their craft, play on an extracurricular team with peers (sans the financial burden), eliminate academic obstacles through direct access to tutoring, and create connections among well-respected, positive mentors.
Unfortunately, many talented children end up not living to their full potential due to poor grades and a lack of mentorship and resources. To eliminate this unfortunate cycle, embrace the widespread love and popularity of the game of basketball in Kentucky, and eradicate those barriers to rewrite the narrative for our future leaders, Anna devised specific, intentional programs for the kids of Swish 2 Success. She has lovingly put her passion for youth and yearning to help others to use through this special non-profit and has since empowered countless youths in her community as a result.
Anna earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Louisville and became a Master of Public Health in 2016. Her pursuit of a higher education was fueled by her will to help others not in the position to help themselves. From her volunteer efforts among rural and youth dental clinics to various community drives to aiding the wonderful staff at the Center for Women and Families, Anna’s drive to help others became more than her passion; serving others, specifically the youth, became her life's mission. Her enthusiasm and will to serve combined with the state of Kentucky’s long-standing love of basketball birthed the Swish 2 Success mission, purposefully joining passion and persistence in an impactful way.
AJ SLAUGHTER, BA
CO-FOUNDER
Anthony “AJ” Slaughter, international basketball star and Shelby County High School (SCHS) graduate, has created quite the name for himself on and off the court. In 2006, AJ was named “Gatorade Player of the Year”, thus solidifying his strong athletic presence among the well-respected basketball community of Kentucky and beyond. As the 2nd leading scorer in SCHS history, he then embarked on his collegiate career at the highly esteemed Western Kentucky University (WKU) where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and helped his team become two-time Sun Belt Conference Champions and NCAA Sweet 16 contenders.
Upon graduation, AJ played in the NBA Summer League with the Detroit Pistons (2010) and the Orlando Magic (2013). His impressive career includes ten seasons among teams in Italy, Belgium, France, Greece, Turkey and Spain, including his 2014 signing with the historic club, Panathinaikos, where he led the team in scoring in his first Euroleague season. Impressively, AJ lead the Polish National Team to an 8th place finish in the 2019 World Games in China, thus using his dual citizenship to advance his on-court endeavors.
AJ takes great pride in using his basketball platform and achievements to advance the Swish 2 Success mission and create a productive, rewarding environment for the program’s participants.