(FTSV’s Participants Selected for Game Changers Academy) Li An Panfil and Nicolas Hernandez Lopez from First Tee — Silicon Valley have been selected to attend the First Tee Game Changers Academy Honoring Joe Louis Barrow, Jr. in Philadelphia, July 8-12, 2025. They are 2 of 72 teens from the First Tee network who have been selected for the five-day learning and empowerment academy and will participate in important conversations around issues of identity, racism, diversity, equity, empathy and inclusion. RISE, a national leader in the sports community championing social justice and working to improve race relations, will facilitate engaging and interactive workshops paired with introspective activities and reflections led by our nationally trained First Tee coaches. The experience is designed to enlighten, inspire, encourage, and position the teens to be advocates for justice and social change in their current and future communities.
Meet FTSV’s Participants for the Game Changers Academy
Meet Li An Panfil
Li An has been a highly engaged participant with First Tee – Silicon Valley since 2013. She has participated in every class offered at FTSV including our four ACE seminar classes (Career, Education, Give Back, and Golf). Li An also volunteers regularly, giving almost 300 hours of her time back to FTSV. Between coaching Girls Golf, coaching our Life Skill program, and leading a subcommittee in our FTSV Junior Council, Li An is constantly going above and beyond and distinguishing herself as a respected leader.
After the event, Li An had this to say:
“During the week, we attended different leadership workshops and learned a lot about leadership and teamwork. On the final day, John Randle from the Vikings spoke with us about his own experiences in the NFL. He said that even if you’re not in a specific leadership position, you still have the responsibility to do what you can, and that you don’t need a designated title to be a good leader. This really resonated with me.”
Meet Nicolas Hernandez Lopez
Nicolas has been involved with FTSV for the past 10 years as a participant, a volunteer coach, and a Junior Council member. He is consistently pushing himself to become more involved and find ways to continue to give back. As a coach, Nico is patient and kind, making class fun and exciting for the young participants. As a participant, Nico engages deeply with the life skill discussions/activities and goes out of his way to make sure other participants are included. Additionally, he has been part of a group that helped plan community events for our chapter. He is going to be a wonderful representative of our chapter at the Game Changers Academy!
Nicolas ended up having a great time at the event...
“It was so much fun meeting new people and experiencing different perspectives. I was able to talk and collaborate with other kids about what they do in their chapters, and to hear about different ways to persevere through challenges.”
“The biggest takeaway for me were the experiences, the moments with my new friends and the conversations I had with mentors and speakers. It opened my eyes to different possibilities and taught me how to overcome different challenges. We really came together as a unit. For example, one kid forgot his golf clubs, so we lent him some. Another kid was homesick, and we comforted him. We built a lot of comradery and togetherness in a very short amount of time. It was really something special.”
The event was held at the University of Minnesota, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
First Tee Game Changers Academy Honoring Joe Louis Barrow, Jr. is one of several national opportunities provided by First Tee headquarters designed to inspire and encourage high school students on a deeper level as they progress through the program and toward higher education opportunities. The Academy honors First Tee’s former CEO, Joe Louis Barrow, Jr., who led the organization from 2000 until his retirement in 2017.
Congratulations Li An and Nicolas!
Published: 06-18-2025 Updated: 08-08-2025