Rishi & Ralph National Spotlight Feature

The First Tee home office has selected two of our seniors, Rishi Ajjarapu and Ralph Kho, to highlight nationally. They will be featured in a national spotlight for their local and chapter contributions. Rishi Ajjarapu joined our chapter in 2012. He successfully made it to our top Ace level, and moved into a volunteer coaching role in 2016. Over the last 3 years, he has contributed over 376 hours of volunteer coaching. Throughout his time at TFTSV, he has demonstrated leadership, compassion, and enthusiasm which contributed to his successes as a participant and coach. In addition to his TFTSV contributions, he was selected by national panel of judges to attend the Joe Louis Barrow Life Skills & Leadership Academy in Boise Idaho and the NorCal Life Skills & Leadership Academy. While at the NorCal academy, he was selected by the coaching staff to receive the “Excellence in Core Values” award which goes to the student who best demonstrates and exhibits the core values throughout the academy. Rishi credits TFTSV for his motivation, leadership and interpersonal skills needed to pursue his extracurricular activities. He is a member of his high school’s Future Business Leaders of America group. His FBLA group worked together as a team to create Seniors Get Savvy, a non-profit aimed to teach seniors how to use technology. His FBLA team competed and placed 2^nd in a state-wide competition evaluating their contributions to local businesses and non-profits. He also served on his Cupertino Youth Activity Board which put together an event providing mental health resources to teens. Rishi says, “Golf is a medium that brings people together, and I want to bring people together for the common good.” He attributes our core lessons of ALR (Ask, Listen & Respond), Go-To-Team, and Goal Ladders as reasons he felt prepared in his clubs and credits the core values for his motivation to succeed and give back. Rishi plans to attend college at the Rutgers University, New Brunswick in the Fall. Meet Ralph Kho. He has been in TFTSV program for 9 years and is an Ace level participant. Ralph began our program in TFTSV’s first season at Palo Alto Muni (now Baylands) in 2011. He has been an instrumental part of our organization volunteering for community events and coaching classes. In 2016, he was selected as the recipient of the Dennis Kettmann Scholarship Award which offers a college scholarship to the college of their choice. Ralph is planning on using the scholarship as he attends the University of Dallas in the Fall. Ralph has not only succeeded in our chapter, but has also been selected by The First Tee national judges to participate in the National Par 3 Championship, the NorCal Life Skills & Leadership Academy, and the PURE Insurance First Tee Championship at Pebble Beach Golf Course. In addition to his local First Tee accomplishments he is active in his community as an International Student Mentor and a member of his school’s National Honor Society and Multi-Cultural Club. Ralph credits TFTSV for “teaching me moral principles, what it is like to have a positive mindset, how to cope with stress, and how to stay physically and mentally healthy.” Please join us in congratulating Rishi and Ralph for their contributions, accomplishments, and graduation. We are proud of who they are and we wish them the best as they embark on their college journeys.