Category: Character Education

Young people have lots to navigate – not just school and career development, but they’re also building confidence, overcoming challenges and taking on their first leadership roles. These are all areas where a mentor can help. 

For many participants, First Tee coaches serve as early mentors, with parents seeing the benefits. According to research from First Tee and Harris Poll, parents turn to coaches to help teach their kids character, perseverance and leadership skills.  

Three-quarters of adults who were mentored in their youth say their mentor “contributed significantly to their success later in life.”  

With its many benefits, mentorship is an essential element of the First Tee College Scholarship Program which extends First Tee’s impact to alumni by providing support throughout their post-graduate career. In addition to receiving financial support and professional development opportunities, each First Tee Scholar is matched with an adult mentor to help support them during their college experience. 

“We’ve seen our Scholars buy into their mentorship connections and because of that, they have another layer of support to guide them through any obstacles and challenges they face in college,” said Robbie Lowman, who oversees the First Tee College Scholarship Program. “Our mentors help our Scholars become the best versions of themselves, which benefits them in the job market.” 

An alumna of First Tee – Upstate South Carolina, Scholar Nelia Leong is a junior at the University of Florida. As she prepares to apply to dental school, Nelia reflected on her connection with her mentor, Jennifer Weiler, senior vice president of network relations at First Tee.  

“The most important lesson I’ve learned from Jen is that it’s okay to ask for help,” Nelia. “In fact, it can lead to incredible opportunities.” 

Jen helped Nelia connect with a dentist in her network. Nelia has since been shadowing and assisting him for two years, and he’s writing a letter of recommendation for her dental school applications. 

“Jen’s mentorship has been one of the most important relationships in my life,” Nelia said. “We’ve built a strong, trusting bond where I feel comfortable sharing all aspects of my life, knowing she’ll listen and offer support.” 

Nelia said Jen was there for her during the stressful lead up to her Dental Admissions Test last year, and Jen was the first person she texted to celebrate after receiving an excellent score on the exam. 

While having a mentor on your side can be incredibly beneficial, it’s not always easy to build and maintain a relationship in a busy world. 

“I built a personal connection with my mentor by keeping her updated on both the big and small events in my life,” Nelia said. “She celebrates my successes and supports me through challenges.” 

In addition to texting, Nelia and Jen connect by Google Meet at least once per month. They especially relish opportunities to meet in person. 

Jen says she has enjoyed being Nelia’s mentor throughout her college journey. “It has been fun to connect with Nelia virtually, on the golf course and at First Tee scholar events. She is such an impressive young woman and has an incredible future ahead of her.” She added, “I am so proud to have been a very small part of her success in college.”  

Nelia’s tips for cultivating a strong mentor-mentee relationship: 

• Try to connect at least once a month, and don’t be afraid to reach out about the small things. 

• Share your struggles and your wins. 

• Ask for help when you need it.  

Three of four parents worry about their child being bullied. Parents know bullying is a problem, but they might not always know how to recognize its signs or how to address it. 

“October is National Bullying Prevention Month, a time to focus and raise awareness on bullying,” said Kristin Westberg, senior director of curriculum and education at First Tee and author of several books on bullying. 

What is bullying?  

Bullying is defined as repeated aggressive behavior that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. Sometimes it can be difficult for parents to differentiate between bullying and bad behavior. Don’t discount your child’s feelings if they’re embarrassed or their feelings are hurt; however, these outcomes might not be the result of bullying. 

“For an action to be considered bullying, the behavior must be unwanted by the person experiencing the bullying and intentional on the part of the person who is bullying,” Westberg explained. “There needs to be a power imbalance, making it difficult for the victim to defend themself, and the action must be repeated.” 

Bullies intend to intimidate, harm or control their victim, and their actions can take the following forms:  

• Physical violence 

• Name calling, making threats or taunting 

• Spreading rumors or intentionally ruining someone’s reputation 

• Cyberbullying online or by text 

How to prevent bullying 

Westberg suggests communicating these messages to your kids to help them understand the potential impact of bullying. 

• “Everyone deserves to feel safe and respected here.” Reinforce that everyone has the right to be treated with kindness and respect.  

• “Your words and actions matter. Choose to be kind.” Help your kids understand the power of their behavior and encourage them to think before acting or speaking.  

• “Everyone has something unique to offer. Let’s celebrate our differences and work together.” Promote inclusivity and appreciation for diversity, helping to prevent bullying that stems from misunderstandings or judgment.  

• “Let’s build a community where everyone can be themselves and feel accepted for who they are.” Build a supportive and accepting community where everyone feels valued and safe.  

• “Being a leader means standing up for others and doing the right thing, even when it’s hard.” Be a positive role model for your child. 

Build your child’s confidence 

Low self-esteem may make kids both more susceptible to being bullied and to bullying. A simple way parents can help their child build confidence is by listening to them and supporting their interests. 

Encourage your child to try new things in a safe environment to help them learn what they’re capable of and that failure is a natural part of growth. 

Many parents believe extracurriculars, including youth sports, can help kids feel more confident. First Tee and Harris Poll collaborated on research that shows that 90% of parents agree that youth sports coaches could impact their child’s ability to respect others. 

You can access additional resources on bullying at stopbullying.gov. 

This September two participants from First Tee – San Joaquin will make their way to Pebble Beach, California, to play in the 2024 PURE Insurance Championship, and they happen to be siblings.

Julian and Elle Gianelli have been First Tee participants for six years. After being introduced to golf 11 years ago by their grandpa, they both found a love for the sport: getting to learn from him, spend quality time together and even show off a little bit.  

Julian is a junior in high school and is involved with Model UN, Key Club, Campus Ministry, Link Crew, the California Scholarship Federation, the varsity golf team and completed over 200 hours of community service in 2023. He’s also a 3^rd degree blackbelt in Taekwondo, with the curriculum of First Tee reminding him of the curriculum taught in Taekwondo.  

“One of the most rewarding aspects of my journey with First Tee has been the opportunity to give back to the community by coaching and mentoring younger participants,” he said. “Serving as a positive role model for these children has been an honor, allowing me to share the values and lessons instilled in me by First Tee and inspire the next generation of leaders.”  

Another way Julian gives back to his community is through his passion project “Crop Kindness Connect,” where he collects excess fruits and vegetables from local growers and provides them to those in need and local lower income schools of Stockton.  

His older sister, Elle, is a senior in high school and is involved in the chess club, Kids Connect Global and has earned the President’s Service Award with over 250 hours of community service in 2023. She is also a 3^rd degree blackbelt in taekwondo and has been involved in several First Tee national opportunities, including the First Tee Innovators Forum, where teens develop a community service project to implement in their hometown. 

Elle created a nonprofit called Socks4Seniors, which has provided over 6,500 pairs of silly socks and notes to over 100 nursing/assisted living facilities nationwide.  

“I’ve been able to envision the impossible and am proud of what I have established and achieved through my nonprofit,” she said.  

Julian and Elle are just two examples of the impressive 80 participants selected to play in the PURE Insurance Championship from September 17 – 22 This opportunity pairs each First Tee participant with a PGA TOUR Champions’ player and amateurs from the business world.  

Good luck to all 80 participants as they continue their preparations for Pebble Beach! 

First Tee – Metropolitan New York alumna and 2022 First Tee Scholar, Srishti Dhurandhar, has been involved with First Tee for more than 10 years. She made the most out of her experience by completing the First Tee Leadership Series, attending Leadership Summit and going on to work at her local PGA TOUR Superstore.  

During her junior year of high school, Srishti completed five Leadership Series sessions, where she learned about personal values, leadership skills and exploring career fields. “The series planted little seeds of these ideas and then Montana really grew those ideas,” she said.  

Following the Series, she was accepted to Leadership Summit in partnership with PGA TOUR Superstore in Montana. Participants at the annual event are encouraged to try new things like horseback riding and whitewater rafting. They learn about their own strengths and weaknesses, how to work as part of a team and how to build authentic relationships.  

“Summit was a life changing week for me. I came back feeling like a whole new person,” she said. Srishti spent the week reflecting on and learning about herself. 

The week allowed her to get comfortable being uncomfortable, with Srishti saying that she did things that she would normally never do thanks to the event’s focus on positive risk taking,. “The environment was so safe and supportive that I felt comfortable enough to do that,” she said.

Session 1 of the 2024 Leadership Summit will be from August 5 – 9 and session 2 will be from August 12 – 16 at West Creek Ranch in Montana.  

Leadership Summit provided Srishti with the opportunity to talk to PGA TOUR Superstore executives and eventually go on to work as a club fitter at the store in East Hanover, New Jersey. There she learned a lot about customer service, clubs, shafts and how to use statistics to get people the clubs that fit them best. 

Now as an alumna, Srishti jumped at the chance to go back to Montana as a chaperone. 

“It was a full circle moment for me, standing in the same place that those participants were in and feeling the same emotions that they were going through,” she said. “Now becoming a mentor to those participants was emotional for me also.” 

Not only did chaperoning provide Srishti with a valuable experience as a mentor but it opened doors for networking opportunities that made her aware of the First Tee headquarters internship that she is completing now.  

“Working here has shown me how it starts at the root. You can tell that people are here because they want to be here, and they want to help the participants,” she said.  

Both the Leadership Series and Leadership Summit culminate with final presentations in which Srishti talked about her desire to work in the golf industry and combine her passion of technology and data with her passion for sports. 

“Going from the speeches I gave at the end of Series and Summit, to now living out those aspirations in this internship has been so rewarding and I absolutely love what I am doing,” she said.  

Srishti will complete her internship in August and begin her junior year at New York University, majoring in business and technology management and member of the collegiate golf team.