Tag: AWS

Avi Desai – Alumni Spotlight & AWS re:Invent Conference Recap

(Avi Desai – Alumni Spotlight & AWS re:Invent Conference Recap Published 12/19/25) Throughout 2025, and into the new year, First Tee HQ is helping chapters across the country lead an initiative to get Alumni more involved in what’s happening at the local and national level. Through meetups, advisory positions, and conferences and networking events, First Tee Alumni have more opportunities than ever to stay involved with First Tee.

Avi Desai, First Tee – Silicon Valley Alum, was recently selected to attend the AWS re:Invent conference, an industry-leading cloud computing and AI professional development and networking event, which took place in Las Vegas earlier this month. This amazing opportunity is part of an ongoing partnership between Amazon Web Services (AWS) and First Tee, and we’re so proud that Avi could represent FTSV as one of eighteen First Tee national alumni in attendance.

Avi started his FTSV journey in elementary school with his sister, Sapna. “[We] had never played golf before, and our dad took us to Rancho for the first time around 6th grade. We saw a bunch of kids in a golf class and learned about FTSV. We signed up for class the next season.” They were immediately hooked, citing their enjoyment learning the game and the life skills that accompanied it, along with the many amazing peers and mentors they met along the way. Avi particularly remembered Coach John Jasso, an integral part of FTSV’s early years, then known as the Eagles at Rancho, and later as First Tee – San Jose. “Coach Jasso was an amazing mentor to us – he was so easy going and knew exactly what to say to keep you motivated on your golf journey. He gave us so much guidance and he really shaped us.”

After graduating and leaving the FTSV program, Avi attended Oregon State, earning his B.S. in Computer Science, in 2023 and is now pursuing his Masters in AI Engineering at UT Austin. His goal is to combine his passion for helping others with the near-limitless potential of STEM and AI to help create innovative solutions to everyday problems.

Avi’s introduction to STEM, an integral part of much of the industry and culture around Silicon Valley, started at a young age. Both his parents were engineers, but Avi soon realized that not all kids had access to the information and technology that he and his sister did. Avi reflected…

“…where we grew up, in a different school district only a half mile away, kids maybe only had 2 computers at their library, didn’t have a computer at home, didn’t have access to things that were so important to the dominant industry here. My sister and I decided we wanted to help change that, so we set out to create STEM learning opportunities for kids at local libraries.”

Avi and Sapna founded their own non-profit, SV Kids, and over the next couple of years began hosting their own STEM classes for underserved youth at libraries around Silicon Valley.

So, Avi was a perfect fit to be selected to attend the AWS re:Invent conference.

“It was so exciting and rewarding to be selected,” said Avi. “We played some golf, networked, and met First Tee Alums from across the country. It was great to hear everyone’s story and see how their First Tee experience has shaped them… There were seminars about different topics, and I spoke to so many bright individuals from different backgrounds, from high-tech to government…. It was awesome to hear the challenges and concerns that other industry leaders have about AI.”

After returning from AWS re:Invent, Avi joined current Ace participants and other FTSV alumni at PGA TOUR Superstore in Cupertino on Friday, December 12th for a special, local event. READ THE FULL RECAP STORY

“FTSV is so proud of Avi for representing us at this national First Tee Alumni event! I cannot think of a better FTSV Ambassador and Alum for AWS re:Invent.” said George Maxe, FTSV President & CEO, who has know Avi since he first started as a participant.  When asked why he’s staying involved in FTSV as an alunni, Avi said, “I definitely want to give back. When I was a participant, hearing from leaders in different industries and how they apply life skills in their careers… inspired me and I want to be a mentor to kids now and further into my career.”

Keep it up Avi! We’re excited to see you continue your career in AI and hope you stay involved in FTSV for years to come. If you’re an alum and want to get re-involved in First Tee events and opportunities, click here.

PGA TOUR Superstore – Cupertino Hosts AWS & FTSV Event

(PGA TOUR Superstore – Cupertino Hosts AWS & FTSV Event Published: 12/19/25) On 12/12 First Tee – Silicon Valley (FTSV) and Amazon Web Services (AWS) collaborated on an event for 21 FTSV high school Ace participants and 4 FTSV alumni. The event was hosted by PGA TOUR Superstore in Cupertino.

AWS employees gave participants an overview of AWS, cloud technology, and examples of cloud technology being used across different sports. Then AWS held a career panel, shared their professional journey, and provided guidance. Our alumni brought their resumes and received feedback from the panel throughout the event. From there the participants used the Trackman technology and played closest-to-the-pin contests in the golf simulator hitting bays. AWS also brought pizza and drinks to celebrate the event.

AWS joined First Tee Headquarters as a Trustee in 2021. Their investment supports First Tee’s initiatives on teen retention, supporting FT alumni with career opportunities and furthering First Tee’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion efforts. Lastly, AWS are committed to the success of First Tee Chapters nationwide by having their employees to volunteer with programs in their local communities. Here locally, they have helped FTSV clean Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course and assisted our Ace Career class with informational interviews and career exploration.

“Our team is committed to working with First Tee and expanding mindsets for participants on careers in STEM,” says Michael Murphy, Sr. Customer and Community Engagement Leader.” “At Beyond the Tee: Sports Tech Lab with AWS, we bring teens to golf simulators where technology meets the tee. Here we help transform curiosity into innovation, showing teens that their passion for sports can drive groundbreaking careers in cloud computing, data analytics, and digital transformation.”

The PGA TOUR Superstore has been a big supporter of First Tee both locally and nationally. They donate $15,000 from the Cupertino store and $15,000 from the East Palo Alto store to FTSV every year. Each spring, they host and deliver a leadership and career class series to our participants and contribute to the Leadership Summit in Montana where several of our participants have had the experience of a life time.

“With our Cupertino PGA TOUR Superstore team being located in the heart of the Silicon Valley, we were fortunate to be able to support Michael and his Amazon Team’s presentation,” says Kate Nielson, General Manager. “It was the perfect location to discuss how the game of golf and technology go hand-in-hand, as well as the outlook for future opportunities. Big thanks to Chris (FTSV’s Program Director) for an awesome turnout. We look forward to hosting the next event.”

Thank you to both AWS and the PGA TOUR Superstore for hosting this event for our teen participants and for continuing to support FTSV.

If you are interested in joining our program, taking part in these events, or learning more, please click here or contact us at [email protected] or 408-508-4880.

Click here to learn about our Ace classes. Click here if you want to volunteer.
Click here if you would like to donate.

PwC and AWS Volunteer Day at Rancho Del Pueblo

(PwC and AWS Volunteer Day at Rancho Del Pueblo) On Tuesday, May 13th, PwC and Amazon Web Services employees “rolled up their sleeves” to clean-up the streets, parking lot and FTSV storage areas at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course. This was the first, of what we hope will be many more, quarterly Corporate Volunteer Days in May, August, November and February.

PWC at Rancho Del Pueblo

Corporate volunteerism is a pillar of corporate social responsibility, and by encouraging employees to volunteer their time and give back to their community’s nonprofits, there are considerable benefits. Employees gain positive team building experiences, while providing a valuable service to the local community.

Amongst the 12 PwC and 9 AWS volunteers, were 7 FTSV staff members there to facilitate the clean-up. “The volunteers in my group were from different walks of life and it was really interesting to hear their stories as we worked” said Nicole Woodson, FTSV Marketing Coordinator. “We were laughing, talking about the various tasks at our companies and forming relationships. It was a very positive teamwork experience for all of us”.

Throughout the morning, corporate volunteers cleaned and organized FTSV’s storage areas for our incoming summer class kids. Additionally, they swept and raked the sidewalks, streets and parking lot. In total, 30 large garbage bags were filled with trash and debris.

“First Tee – Silicon Valley and Rancho are very grateful to the PwC and AWS employees who helped us spruce up Rancho and FTSV’s storage. We want the best for all FTSV participants including an environment that is safe, clean and organized. The higher the quality program we offer, the greater the positive impact we can have on kids’ and teens’ lives,” said George Maxe, FTSV President & CEO.

If you your company would like to participate in the next Corporate Volunteer Day, contact George Maxe [email protected] 408-288-2937.

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Published: 05-15-2025

First Tee – Silicon Valley Partners with Amazon Web Services

In April of 2024, First Tee – Silicon Valley (FTSV) began its local partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS). AWS provides world-leading cloud technologies that help organizations and individuals build solutions to transform industries and communities. Recently, AWS began a nation-wide partnership with First Tee Headquarters through their contact with the PGA TOUR. Their goal is to help develop teen programming, recruit Amazon employees to volunteer with local First Tee chapters, and support First Tee Alumni.

For our chapter, we had two AWS executives volunteer their time to be guests in our spring Ace Career classes, Patrick Duffy, Senior Solutions Architect, and Umar Saeed, Senior Manager Solutions Architect. During our class we split into two groups and our Ace participants conducted informational interviews of Mr. Duffy and Mr. Saeed. Ace Career class participants learn strategies for conducting informational interviews and are expected to complete several of them on their own to gain a better understanding of what jobs and careers are out there, but also to develop their networking and professional skills.

“Thank you to Patrick and Saeed for assisting our participants and sharing their career paths and tips. Informational interviews are an important part of our Ace teens’ exploration of careers, including industries and job functions within most organizations such as HR and finance. When business professionals visit us they help participants demystify interviews and the world of work. Frankly, such experiences wipe away a lot of their fears and anxieties about work and boost their confidence. Thank you AWS!”

– FTSV President & CEO, George Maxe

This season we will be coaching our Ace Golf classes at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course and the Ace Education (College) classes will be in the Fall. For more information on our four Ace projects please click here, email [email protected], or call 408-508-4884.

Published: 06-12-2024