(FTSV Participant Tristan Hipolito Awarded ACE Certification Status! – Published 10/03/25) First Tee – Silicon Valley is excited to share that Tristan Hipolito was recently awarded the distinguished honor of being Ace-Certified!
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. Tristan 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.
Tristan is beginning his first year at UC Riverside where he is pursuing an Engineering degree. Tristan’s First Tee story began over 10 years ago with First Tee – East Bay. When that chapter unfortunately closed in 2017, he and his family made the long drive to join our chapter in San Jose. Ever since, he has been one of the most active and respected participants at FTSV taking at least 2 classes every season for all 4 seasons throughout his middle and high school years, and was a volunteer coach every season for the last 4 years. Additionally, he was appointed to Committee Chair by his peers in our Junior Council and led his team in event coordination, fundraising, and video production. In 2024 he was selected to represent First Tee participants from around the country in the National Junior Advisory Council, and in 2025 he was selected for the Dennis Kettmann College Scholarship.
“Here, I made friends who I was able to hang out with outside classes,” said Tristan. “I met mentors who were not only able to help me with my golf game, but also give me advice for college and future career paths related to the major I want to pursue. I also gained and practiced skills, such as communication, delegation, being responsible for others, and teamwork.”
Tristan took all 4 of our Ace 8-week classes 2-3 times throughout high school.
“Ace classes taught me many beneficial skills, but I most appreciate the ones I learned during the career project. In class we learned how to prepare for an interview, conduct an informational interview, reach out and perform job shadows, and write resumes and cover letters. As I pursued Ace Certification, I was able to use those skills I learned in class. I performed three informational interviews where I learned about the responsibilities and career paths of people I saw as mentors. They even helped me format my resume so I could send it out to engineering related opportunities. I never would have learned these skills and the others I learned in Ace if I was not in Ace.”
Ace includes (4) 8-week 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
To be an Ace-certified, participants must:
- Be at least 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 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, Tristan, for your outstanding work” says Program Director Chris Moreno-Hunt. “I remember coaching him when he was 7 years old in the East Bay Chapter. To see his development into a leader and a high character individual is what this is all about. It has been a real honor to coach him over the years, and I am very thankful to have gotten to know him and his wonderful family. He is a true representation of respect and hard work. It is no wonder his peers, fellow coaches, and our staff all respect and value him as a person. Best of luck in college, Tristan!
To find out more about our Ace classes and how to be Ace-Certified, please click here or email/call Chris at [email protected] or 408-508-4884.