Jennifer Barrientos Archives - First Tee

FTSV Participant and Coach Jennifer Barrientos Receives Scholarship via Youth on Course

(FTSV Participant and Coach Jennifer Barrientos Receives Scholarship via Youth on Course – Published 7/09/2026) Jennifer Barrientos is the 2026 recipient of the Youth on Course College Scholarship! She will be the first in her family to attend a 4-year college and we couldn’t be more proud of her.

Her journey with us began in 2018 at our Parent University outreach event for Alum Rock Unified School District’s participants and families. Our Operations Assistant, Lina Herrera Peña attended the event and spoke with her and her family about our program. “Watching them participate together in the activities and seeing how excited the children were about golf allowed me to share with them the purpose and opportunities that come from being in First Tee,” said Lina. “What resonated with them the most was our program’s commitment to teaching life skills through golf while also preparing participants for the future beyond high school.”

According to Jennifer, “Before joining FTSV, all I knew about golf was that it was expensive and difficult to play. It was foreign to me and my family and not something we thought was going to be an option. FTSV offered my sister and I financial assistance, which made it possible for us to join the program. True to what my mom always taught us, I did not take this opportunity for granted. Now I am here receiving multiple scholarships to college!”

She further highlights the impact that FTSV has had on her and her family, “My mom is a single mom and takes care of all three of us. She tries her best to give us what we need. I have a responsibility to my mom, sister, and brother. We are in this together and I embrace the challenge of being a role model and taking care of my mom. In FTSV, we learned that responsibility requires setting goals and following through on promises. I will continue to work hard in golf, my education, and my career to make myself, and my family proud.”

Fast forward 8 years and she has been one of the most engaged participants and coaches that we have ever had. She has taken all of our classes across all age groups, participated in and coached our Girls Golf program, assisted at our outreach events by speaking Spanish to families, became a volunteer life and golf coach, and now that she graduated is a paid coach with us over the summer. As a result of her contributions and her high character, she was selected to attend the First Tee John Deere Drive Your Future Academy in Florida, which is a female empowerment event recognizing young women who are motivated to influence positive impact at their Chapters, schools, and communities. In 2022, FTSV selected her as our Dennis Kettmann College Scholarship recipient. She also received the Latino Education Advancement Foundation Scholarship and was a finalist for the Posse Foundation Scholar Program, which connected her with St Olaf and their scholarship fund.

In addition to the opportunities and scholarships, she credits FTSV with helping her “learn how to network, mentor, collaborate, and set goals. The impact my FTSV coaches have had on me is beyond explainable. They have always been there for me, guided me, gave me advice from their personal experience, and tied it back to what I can do for my personal impact.”

Networking and setting goals helped her get jobs throughout high school to save up money for college. That, together with her earned scholarships, is making it possible for her to accomplish her dream of being the first in her family to go to a 4-year college. This fall she will be attending St Olaf in Minnesota!

“I have so many good memories with First Tee – Silicon Valley and I’m extremely grateful for everything they have given me – national opportunities, personal growth, and most importantly, such a supportive community where I was able to learn and adapt.”

Congratulations, Jennifer. We are so proud of and happy for you, and we are excited for your next steps in life.

To join our program as Jennifer did, please visit here. Financial aid is available, and we don’t turn anyone away.

To read more about our local, regional and national opportunities, please click here.

FTSV at John Deere Drive Your Future Academy

(FTSV at John Deere Drive Your Future Academy Published 12/3/25) In early November, in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, 36 girls from First Tee chapters from across the country were welcomed to the annual 2025 Drive Your Future Academy, a five-day leadership program specifically for girls, designed to help develop critical skills that will serve students in college and beyond. Kathryn Newton – actress, First Tee – Miami alum, and First Tee Ambassador – headlined the list of mentors on hand to lead a variety of workshops centered around topics such as: advocating for yourself and others, overcoming adversity, cultivating meaningful relationships, roadmap to successful mentorship, and embracing self-awareness.

This year, First Tee – Silicon Valley was honored to be represented by two of our participants and junior volunteers, Alexis Chu and Jennifer Barrientos.

Both participants are long time participants in our program, junior volunteers, and members of our Junior Council. At the event they had a great time learning from their peers and mentors and came away with a ton of valuable life skills they will surely use in their futures.

For Jennifer, it was also a new life experience, being the first time she’s left her home state.

“I really enjoyed the experience overall – everything was brand new for me; it was even my first time on a plane!” she reflected. “The biggest highlight for me was the lesson on mentorship – we can always offer support to people by offering our skills and diversifying the people you surround yourself with. Our coach laid out a timeline of her mentors and taught us that each mentor will lead you to your next.”

The event reinforces First Tee’s commitment to empowering girls through its programs, which are offered through 150 chapters across the country. Most First Tee Chapters, including us here at FTSV, provide dedicated programming for girls, intentionally inviting and engaging them in a variety of opportunities. At our chapter, that is Girls Golf, a quarterly event geared specifically (but not exclusively) to girls, designed with input from our Junior Council and put on with help from junior volunteers like Jennifer and Alexis. When asked to sum up the importance of creating safe spaces for girls in golf and how that was created at Drive Your Future, Jennifer replied,

“Being a group of all girls, we had similar challenges. I’ve had struggles being the only women and Latina in certain spaces, but at Drive Your Future, we were reminded that girls can advocate for themselves and accomplish anything we want. Hearing stories from women that have grown so much through their lives and careers was inspiring.”

Events like these are so valuable for participants to build on the lessons they’re already working on in their First Tee classes back home.

Congratulations to Jennifer and Alexis for being selected for this amazing opportunity. Well deserved!

The 2026 First Tee National Opportunities schedule will be released soon – if your teen is interested in applying, stay tuned! Click here for more information on the National Opportunity process.

Fall 2025 National Opportunity Update

(Fall 2025 National Opportunity Update – Published 10/03/25) For First Tee – Silicon Valley, the Fall has many unique and impactful opportunities for high school participants who go above and beyond. Between the Innovators Forum, the Drive Your Future Academy and the PURE Insurance Championship, hardworking FTSV participants will represent their chapter on the national stage. If you are interested in learning more about the National Opportunities available, please visit our website or email Coach Phoenix – [email protected].

Innovators Forum (October 2-5, 2025, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL):

Each year, a group of exceptional First Tee teens gather at the First Tee Innovators Forum, where they develop a meaningful service project to bring home to their community. Projects focus on education, health, human rights or environmental sustainability. By bringing together passionate participants from across the chapter network, the Innovators Forum provides a distinctive enrichment experience, engaging teens who share a similar desire for learning and generating changes in their communities.

This year, two outstanding FTSV participants will be attending this event. Sahara Huchim Velazquez and Nicolas Hernandez Lopez have been in the program for years and both volunteer as junior coaches. Have a great time Sahara and Nicolas!

PURE Insurance Championship Impacting First Tee (September 16-21, 2025, Pebble Beach, CA):

For more than 20 years, the PURE Insurance Championship has provided First Tee participants with the unique opportunity to showcase the skills and values they’ve gained through the program. Held at the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course, the tournament pairs 80 standout teens from First Tee Chapters nationwide with PGA TOUR Champions players and amateurs from the business community. The annual event was broadcast internationally on Golf Channel.

This year, FTSV participants Alexis Chu, Brian Yu and Walton Li attended this event and were phenomenal representatives of our chapter. Everyone played very well, including a 6^th place finish for Alexis and 3^rd place finish for Brian. More importantly, all players conducted themselves with respect and kindness, building lasting relationships while playing golf in one of the most beautiful places on earth. Fantastic work!

Drive Your Future Academy (November 6-10, 2025, Ponte Vedra, FL):

The First Tee Drive Your Future Academy presented by John Deere is a female empowerment event recognizing young women who are motivated to influence positive impact at their chapters, schools and communities. The five-day academy experience focuses on the importance of building a strong network and how to approach mentorship opportunities, navigating post-graduation and career planning, and appreciating the value/impact of volunteerism.

Jennifer Barrientos and Alexis Chu were selected to attend the upcoming 2025 Drive Your Future Academy. Jennifer has been a participant for over 7 years, is a dedicated junior coach, and is a key member of the FTSV junior council. Alexis is also a dedicated participant, demonstrating her strong life skills on and off the course, including just recently at the PURE Insurance Championship. Enjoy the week!