(Li An and Isabella selected for First Tee Scholarship) First Tee Silicon Valley participants Li An Panfil and Isabella Herrera have been selected by FT Headquarters to become a part of the 2025 College Scholar Program. Congratulations!!!
The First Tee College Scholarship Program…
Providing valuable, life-changing opportunities for the youth of First Tee. Helping them prepare for success is at the core of our mission. We believe in encouraging youth to pursue their dreams and further their education.
This program awards participants who excel in academics, leadership, character development, and chapter and community involvement. Thanks to generous donors, First Tee is proud to offer up to a $20,000 scholarship, mentoring throughout the college experience, professional development workshops and assistance in securing internships and jobs through the First Tee College Scholarship Program.
Applications are accepted once per year from seniors in high school who meet the minimum eligibility requirements.
If you are interested in learning more about the College Scholarship Program or are interested in applying, please email Coach Phoenix at [email protected]
Meet Isabella Herrera
Isabella has been a standout participant with FTSV for the past 13 years. With over 300 hours of volunteer service, not only is she a wonderful addition to any class she is in, but Isabella is also constantly looking for ways to give back and support her community. As a participant, Isabella has taken every kind of class FTSV offers and continues to come every Saturday for the high school classes. She comes to class with a positive and inclusive attitude, bringing up those around her while pushing herself to grow in both golf and with the life skill curriculum.
Isabella began volunteering with FTSV back in June of 2021 and has been a consistent coach ever since. In addition to coaching, she assists us as an admin volunteer, which includes preparing class bins and materials, and communicating with parents about class announcements and policies. She also is an outreach volunteer and assists our staff in school community outreach where she connects with Spanish speaking families, translates, and helps them sign up for our program. As a result of her many contributions, she recently received the Presidential Service Volunteer Gold Award.
Her dedication and contributions resulted in her representing our chapter in the Drive Your Future Female Empowerment Academy as well as the Leadership Summit in Montana. Outside of First Tee, Isabella is on the Youth on Course (YOC) Leadership Council, and in the YOC DRIVE Club (Diversity Respect, Inclusion, Voice Equity). Both roles include increasing diversity into the game of golf, something Isabella is very passionate about.
Isabella will be attending USC next Fall. Congratulations Isabella!
Meet Li An Panfil
Li An was selected for this program because of her stand-out participation during the First Tee Leadership Summit, her academic excellence, her community service, as well as her long track record of hard work and success within First Tee – Silicon Valley. The leadership summit is one of the National Opportunities available to our participants who go above and beyond, and it provides workshops and learning experiences aimed around developing leadership skills. Li An was at home as a leader here, rising to the occasion as a top performer, attracting the attention of facilitators and eventually being selected for the scholarship. We are so proud to have Li An representing us on a national scale.
As a junior volunteer coach, Li An has been one of our most influential coaches. She has been coaching since 2021, and is trusted to lead her groups. She also is one of the lead coaches in our Girls Golf Program. Her attitude and kindness shine through the work she does, as she passes on the life skills First Tee has taught her down to the next generation. Not only does she work to help bring up others, Li An also gets personal fulfillment out of coaching. When asked, she said “[the participants] put me in a good mood. Seeing people I know and them remembering things about me, and people showing that they care brings me up. It’s a big community feeling, showing that I am making a big impact, spreading knowledge and helping people to improve and be their best self.”
LiAn is planning on attending UCLA in the Fall. In the future, she wants to pursue a career in healthcare, a field where her perseverance, positive attitude and innate care for others will definitely play a role. Congratulations again Li An!
Published: 06-18-2025