Check Out Isabel’s Life Skills Leadership Academy Reflection

Ace Certified Participant and junior coach, Isabel S., traveled to East Lansing, MI from July 26th to August 1st to take part in The First Tee’s Life Skills and Leadership Academy. This opportunity helps develop and educate participants in areas such as life skill development through engaging golf activities, college preparatory and dorm living, and career exploration, all while having the opportunity to play championship golf and develop lifelong friendships. Through the week they are inspired to consider how they can return to their chapters and communities and be a leader and role model for other participants.
To start off, my week at Michigan State University for the Life Skills and Leadership Academy was an invaluable experience that would not have been possible without Coach George and Coach Matt encouraging me to apply for this experience during my Ace interview.  My week started with my first flight alone to the Detroit Michigan Airport. Although it was hard for me to say goodbye to the comfort and familiarity of my parents and hometown, I was both scared, yet eager to embark on a new journey. Our schedule was extremely packed. We rose early in the mornings for breakfast and finished our evening with various activities which included bowling, watching a local baseball game, and playing a putt putt course on real grass. On the first day on the course, I ran into our very own Coach Kuniko! It was a funny experience because I didn’t realize she spent half of the year in the Midwest, so it was cool to talk to Coach Kuniko and compare the difference between her chapter there and Silicon Valley. Throughout the week, we attended seminars addressing leadership. They taught us new ideas about how to actually spark change through utilizing our platform as junior golfers, but also reinforced classic First Tee life skills like Personal Par.   One of the greatest quotes I took away from that trip was a quote by head golf coach at MSU, Casey Lubhan, who preached about being “inefficient with relationships.” He argued that in modern society, we are always trying to get the most out of everything in as little time as possible, but when it comes to relationships, it should be opposite. When we are inefficient with our relationships, we can take the time to build deeper, more meaningful connections with one another. All in all, this experience was an amazing opportunity to get to meet people from all over the U.S. and immerse myself in the various cultures throughout our country. I would definitely recommend this opportunity to anyone because it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience college living ahead of time, strengthen your golf skills, and surround yourself with other golfers who are each determined to achieve great things.
  • Isabel S., Ace Certified Participant