(FTSV Participant Awarded Ace Certification!) First Tee – Silicon Valley is excited to share that Evan Santoso was awarded the distinguished honor of being Ace-Certified!
What does it mean to be awarded Ace Certification?
Ace is the highest level of certification at First Tee and less than 1% of First Tee participants from across the country achieve Ace certification. Evan will receive local and national recognition from First Tee for completing his Ace classes and the post-class documents. More importantly, his work in our Ace classes helped him apply the First Tee Life Skills to college and career exploration, and to his give-back volunteer opportunities. The Ace classes also assisted in developing transferable skills that will aid him in his professional development.
About Evan Santoso
Evan is a rising senior at King’s Academy in San Jose. He began our program as a participant in 2017 and volunteered as a coach since 2023. Additionally, he was selected to be in a leadership position on our Junior Council where he has spent upwards of 50 of his own hours creating a few highlight videos that we used for our Family Fest and Coach Appreciation events.
Going the extra step is something that Evan takes pride in. Part of his Ace Give Back project requires participants to volunteer in addition to FTSV. Evan chose to volunteer for his Church who, when they observed his skill set, made him their Video Director & Camera Operator. There he created an official handbook for future video directors to live stream and broadcast. This handbook was not requested by his boss, but Evan thought it could help provide more clarity for the next person that takes on the role.
“Taking the Ace classes not once but twice has really opened my eyes to a world of academic and professional opportunities I didn’t realize was available,” says Evan. “Not only have I been able to practice using researched tools and networking skills to explore different colleges and potential career choices, I feel like I have been able to find out more of who I am as a person in the process!”
“The valuable life and work skills I’ve learned at FTSV like how to communicate and collaborate well with others has given me confidence to talk to adults from all walks of life and network with professionals from different fields.”
As mentioned above, Evan edited and helped direct a First Tee – Silicon Valley Promo video as part of a Junior Council Project. (See below)
There are (4) 8-week Ace sessions, each with post-class projects.
- Education – financial planning for college (budgeting, saving, grants, scholarships), college application process, school identification and exploration strategies.
- Career – resume-building, interview skills, transferable, adaptive and content skill development, and professional correspondence.
- Golf – golf psychology, optimal practice habits.
- Volunteer – going above and beyond, learning transferable skills, networking, professionalism
FTSV Participants Awarded Ace Certification, participant must be:
- 14 years old
- Be in our program for a minimum of 3 years; and attend a minimum of 2 seasons per year.
- Attend our 4 Ace-Future Planning Classes (Career, Golf, Education, Give-Back)
- Complete the 4 Ace-Future Planning post class documents
- Submit a letter of recommendation
- Be selected by a panel of First Tee National judges
“Congratulations Evan for your outstanding work” says Program Director Chris Moreno-Hunt. “We are proud of how you look out for others and your desire to go above and beyond. You are hardworking and lift others up in class. I have no doubt you will continue to be successful and utilize the tools learned in Ace to achieve your goals.”
To find out more about our Ace-Future Planning classes and how to be Ace-Certified, please reach out to [email protected] or 408-508-4884.
Published: 06-11-2025