Tag: participant spotlight

Participant Spotlight: Meet Juan Hernandez

(Participant Spotlight: Meet Juan Hernandez) Juan Hernandez first came to First Tee – Silicon Valley as a 6th grader. He was exposed to our program by our long-time youth partner, Redwood City Pal Center. Over the next seven years he took classes at Baylands Golf Links in Palo Alto with the help of the Pal Center and then participated in our Saturday classes at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course in San Jose.  Now he is preparing to graduate high school and continue to college where he has been accepted to four schools so far with plans to study Civil Engineering. 

Juan’s journey began in the Redwood City Pal Center which is a resource program that co-creates solutions with the community and builds brighter futures for youth and families. They do a fantastic job at exposing their participants to many different experiences like our Life and Golf Skill classes. Participants grades 2-6 are transported from the Pal Center to Baylands Golf Links every Friday in each of our four 8-week seasons. Thanks to the SAGA Foundation’s support of both organizations, we are able to have a successful partnership, which includes covering the cost of their registrations and providing Pal Center with a van that is designated for transportation to our program. 

Juan is one of hundreds of Pal Center participants who have had the opportunity to join our classes since 2017 because of our partnership, SAGA Foundation’s support, and Pal Center’s commitment to broadening opportunities for youth. Pal Center’s Executive Director, Ivan Martinez, says, “This partnership exemplifies our mission to connect young people with enriching experiences that might not have been on their radar otherwise. Juan’s journey is just one of many success stories we’ve seen through our partnership with First Tee. By creating access to experiences beyond their immediate environment, we empower our youth to dream bigger and step into new opportunities.” The Pal Center is an important community building organization, and FTSV is proud to be able to offer Golf and Life Skill development to Juan and their other members.

When asked about his experience, Juan said, “I didn’t know anything about First Tee. I never thought I’d play golf or enjoy it. Now, I like it. It’s good exercise, and it’s a good way to socialize and destress yourself. In the beginning, my brother and I were nervous, having never played golf and not knowing anyone there. Coach Matt was the first person I met at the course. He introduced himself and had everyone else introduce themselves with a handshake. Before these classes I wasn’t confident speaking up in front of the group, but Coach Matt helped me to speak up and build that confidence.”

Seven years later he is now one of the leaders in his Grades 9-12 class at Rancho del Pueblo Golf Course. He lifts others up and has earned the respect of his peers and coaches. “At First Tee – Silicon Valley you have people helping you, and then you make friends,” Juan says. “Including others and being more outgoing are some of my biggest take aways from FTSV. I sometimes see people at school that are by themselves or don’t have many friends, and I invite them to hang out with me and my friends. First Tee has helped me to be a Go-To person for others and realize who my Go-To people are. I have different Go-To people for different situations, people like my brother, my friends, and my coaches.”

“For other kids starting out, I’d say keep going. It’s good to keep an open mind, in the end, it’s worth it. The program will help you a lot. It will help you clear your vision and help you to learn important life skills that will help you right now and for the rest of your life. Don’t knock it until you try it!”

From all of us here at FTSV, congratulations Juan on all your hard work! We are proud of you!

If you are interested in joining the Spring season, registration opens here on February 19th, at 11am. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Coach Phoenix via email ([email protected]) or phone (650-887-7104).

Published: 02-07-2025

Participant Spotlight: Edwin Sanchez

First Tee- Silicon Valley participant spotlight: Edwin Sanchez has been hard at work giving back to his community and being the change that he wants to see in the world. He is leading neighborhood clean-up projects, volunteering with us as a youth mentor and coach, and even serving as a part of the District 3 Youth Commission. On and off the course, Edwin continues to show what it really means to be involved and make a difference. Great work, Edwin!

Edwin joined FTSV as a participant 5 years ago. Since then, he has taken over 17 classes, participated in many of our tournaments and events, and started volunteering as a junior coach, passing on the Life Skill knowledge he has learned to the younger participants. Edwin is a committed and caring FTSV participant, and this extends to other parts of his life as well.

Beyond the golf course

He organizes a monthly neighborhood clean-up, getting people together to make positive change. Working with Beautify SJ, Edwin and other community members spend 3 hours every month cleaning and giving back to the neighborhood. When asked about the project, he said “I’ve been doing this for almost 8 months. It fills me with pride to help my community, the place I grew up. FTSV has helped me a lot with my time management and I use that skill regularly, especially on projects such as this one.”

Edwin is also a part of the San Jose Youth Commission, representing District 3. The Youth Commission is a group of young people committed to serving their community through legislation, service projects, and activism. Within this role, Edwin runs a Youth Advisory Committee, working directly with other teens from his district to provide input on policy and programs that impact the city. Currently he is organizing monthly meetings and looks forward to the upcoming projects.

When asked about his passion for social service, Edwin reflected on his upbringing. “My mom took me out almost every week to do some sort of volunteer project. Now that I am in high school, I see a lot of my school field trips are to places I volunteered at in the past, to learn more about the impact these organizations are making.  I took a field trip to one place where my name is on a drawing on the wall from when I was there as a kid, and it really showed me that I have been able to make an impact for a while now. I want to continue to make that impact, both to improve my community and also to build my own confidence and experience with leadership and changemaking.”

“If I had one word of advice, take on volunteering and social service at your own pace. It takes a bit to get used to the time commitment, but it will make you feel good about yourself and reinforces your values. Also, it brings you recognition from your community leaders, and will lead to more opportunities in the future.”

Thank you for all your hard work, Edwin! If you would like to get involved in your community as a First Tee Volunteer Coach, please visit our website or reach out to Julie ([email protected]) to learn more. If you would like to join our program as a participant, please visit our registration page.

PUBLISHED: 11-8-2024

Participant Spotlight: Meet Natalie Chen

For this spotlight, meet FTSV participant Natalie Chen!

First Tee – Silicon Valley believes that challenges faced in life present the perfect opportunity for personal growth and development. Golf, like life, is full of challenges. Learning how to react to and work through these challenges is what allows players to excel at the game. FTSV believes that the same principles apply to our lives outside of golf, that when faced with difficult and unique circumstances, maintaining a growth mindset allows us to persevere and continue to develop. Our participants have internalized these values and find success as they apply them to challenges on and off the course.

Natalie Chen is one of our participants who thrives in challenging situations. She began taking our classes in the 3rd grade, coming from a family that wasn’t very familiar with golf. From the beginning, Natalie has felt right at home, saying “First Tee was very welcoming…[they] set the stepping stones for me to build the confidence to walk on to a golf course and know what to do”. After many seasons with FTSV, Natalie earned a spot on her school’s varsity golf team. On the team she even has friends who she met through FTSV, other people who she knows she can rely on, both on and off of the course.

Natalie on Volunteering

Natalie began volunteering with FTSV the summer before her freshman year of high school, the earliest possible season a junior can begin coaching. It has been a year and a half now, and she has thrived in her position. According to Natalie, “I love it so much. Coaching has helped me build my relationship with golf even outside of my school team. I really like teaching the little kids, they are like little brothers and sisters to me”.

Being involved with FTSV as both a participant and volunteer has provided Natalie with the tools and mindset to work through and grow from challenges. As a participant, Natalie has worked on the FTSV curriculum with her coaches for many seasons, practicing and developing her perseverance, her positive growth mindset, and her ability to reflect on her mistakes and successes to learn what works and what to do differently. When asked about the challenges she faces in golf, Natalie said “Golf is a process, it isn’t quick fixes. I am always dealing with internal struggles, but knowing that my practice is having an impact and that I will make progress helps me to just keep at it.” She says that she uses the ideas of “process over outcome,” focusing more on improving her process than getting caught up on the particular outcome. She credits her success in golf to this particular mindset.

What do Natalie’s Coaches have to say?

Even Natalie’s coaches have taken note of her growth during her time with FTSV. When asked, Program Coordinator Manny Gallardo said “I’ve had the pleasure of coaching Natalie since 2018.  With each passing season, she has grown more confident.  She’s often the first to participate in our group discussions and has often taken the initiative to help her fellow peers understand our life skills at a deeper level.  Whenever Coach Alex and I gave her a responsibility, we were confident that she would go above and beyond to complete it.  Natalie has been a fantastic participant and I’m excited to see the next step of her journey”.

Translating Natalie’s FTSV Skills to school and beyond

In school, the attitude and skills she has developed surrounding challenges continue to support her growth. Here she highlights her leadership as one of the most influential aspects of her personality. According to Natalie, “First Tee has helped me build on my leadership in the program and at school, such as taking the lead and initiating conversations. I have learned how to manage a group of people, open up to others, and make space for everyone to share ideas and feel included”. As she encounters challenges in her academic life, Natalie is confidence that she can face them head on. She is armed with specific skills to help her succeed and she knows that facing challenges is where she is able to grow the most. 

Outside of golf, Natalie is also a piano accompanist in her school choir and is a percussionist in the California Youth Symphony. She believes that music, like golf, helps to build her patience and enjoyment of challenge. Great work Natalie!

PUBLISHED: 02-05-2024