Category: Character Education

Hannah Sudbury, First Tee – Tennessee Program Coordinator gives her tips on coaching while having fun with intention

“I’ve been working with First Tee for over 10 years now!”

Position with First Tee: First Tee Tennessee Program Coordinator 

How long with First Tee: I have been with First Tee – Tennessee since I was 15 years old (became a level one coach at 17 years old); 10 years over all! 

Why you joined the First Tee: I joined First Tee to learn about the game of golf! My dad really wanted me to try another sport other than softball and golf was next on my list. My dad found First Tee and I have been here ever since!

Your favorite memory so far with First Tee: I personally do not have one favorite memory with First Tee. My favorite memories include all the relationships that I have built over the years with the participants and their families. The love and support I have received from each of them has made my time with this program unforgettable. I hope to continue making these memories in the future!

If no one had heard of First Tee before, what would you say? First Tee is an incredible organization to get your kids involved in golf! Golf can be a hard sport to learn, but First Tee makes learning golf knowledge and skills fun by incorporating games and activities that are essential and engaging. First Tee is a great environment for young children to get out of their comfort zone and make new friends, while enjoying the game of golf. Not only does First Tee offer golf, but we also incorporate life skills in our curriculum that the participants can take on and off the course!

What would be your 3 tips of having Fun with Intention/examples of how:

1)  Create fun, engaging, and age-appropriate activities; for example, “Hungry Hungry Hippos” for putting, “Frogger” for chipping, and Golf Baseball for pitching and full swing. All these games are somewhat familiar and can be played individually, groups, and in teams.

2)  Have incentives or rewards to provide motivation to participants!

3)  Socializing; for example, giving participants the opportunity to socialize with each other and coaches to build relationships. This leads to participants to be more comfortable, allowing them to be open and engaged throughout their classes.

Canadian National Indigenous History Month: First Tee – Canada’s Dedication to Indigenous Communities Year round  

The world just turned its attention to Toronto for the PGA TOUR’s RBC Canadian Open. Meanwhile, First Tee – Canada is also taking a moment to reflect in honor of Canadian National Indigenous History Month.  

First Tee – Canada is made up of five chapters: First Tee – British Columbia, First Tee – Premier départ Quebec, First Tee – Atlantic, First Tee – Ontario, and First Tee – Prairies with First Tee – Alberta launching later this year.  

Each chapter has unique and dynamic relationships with local Indigenous communities. 

First Tee – British Columbia opened its first program location, The Musqueam Golf and Learning Academy, on traditional Musqueam First Nation territory in 2021.  

Since then, it has expanded to over 53 program spaces and sold out every session in 2023 thus far. This year, the CPCK Women’s Open will be held at Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club, which is also located on Musqueam traditional territory. During tournament week, First Tee – British Columbia will host a youth clinic nearby to the course at Musqueam Golf and Learning Academy.  

First Tee – British Columbia hopes to continue to strengthen its relationship and bring safe, affordable golf programming to an even wider audience as it begins its 2023 summer programs.  

First Tee – Premier départ Quebec collaborates with the Mohawk community of Kahnawake, the Cree community of Waskaganish, and the First Nation of Mashteuiatsh through golf course, school, and community programming.  

The chapter also works closely with the Club 24 Athletics Foundation, an organization that works to support young Indigenous leaders through sport and education.  

Last year First Tee – Premier départ Quebec hosted programming for 18 Indigenous participants. The team hopes to more than double that number this year.  

Jeremy Proteau, First Tee – Premier départ Quebec Program Manager, credits the success of this partnership to the tight knit community and dedicated volunteers.  

In the Kahnawake First Nations reserve, there are seven golf courses,, and the local volunteers are working to introduce golf to children who have previously only had access to lacrosse and hockey.  

The courses are working in collaboration with First Tee – Premier départ Quebec to provide certain programming at no cost to participants and with entirely Indigenous coaching staffs.  

First Tee – Ontario, First Tee – Prairies, and First Tee – Atlantic are in the beginning stages of building relationships with the Indigenous communities around them but are hoping to launch programming soon, some as soon as this summer.  

Canadian National Indigenous History Month is celebrated each year in June to recognize and honor the rich history, heritage, and diversity of Canada’s Indigenous populations.  

For more information about First Tee – Canada and its communities click here.  

Coach Leroy Bates says golf made him a better person. Now he’s sharing his passion in L.A. 

First Tee – Los Angeles coach Leroy Bates estimates he’s helped more than 1,000 kids earn college scholarships over the course of his decades long career. 

He tries to instill values like integrity and responsibility in addition to golf skills. It’s why he connected so deeply with First Tee’s youth development style when he first encountered the organization 20 years ago. 

Bates has helped at least 10 kids earn spots in the field of the PURE Insurance Championship, a PGA TOUR Champions event that pairs golf legends with First Tee participants at Pebble Beach. He also attended First Tee’s Life Skills & Leadership Academy as a coach in 2019. 

He was sad when First Tee – Los Angeles folded due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s thrilled the chapter relaunched and is now offering programming, he said 

“Now students are coming back and it’s out with the old and in with the new,” he said. 

 Golf is thriving in Los Angeles, Bates said, especially with the eyes of the golf world on Los Angeles Country Club, site of the 2023 U.S. Open. But not all kids have equal access to the sport in a state where transportation can be difficult. Bates said almost half the kids he coaches today live with a single parent.  

He knows that can be tough.  

Bates’ golf journey began in Selma, Alabama, where his grandfather – a retired Army colonel – owned a small driving range. It’s where his mom sent him in the summer when she needed extra help, and it changed his life. Bates collected range balls and cut the grass before going on to play collegiate golf and then on mini tours. 

He understands the opportunities golf can bring. He said he’s met new people and traveled the world thanks to the sport.  

“Golf made me a better person,” he said. “I learned to respect the rules. I learned to get out and be healthy.” 

First Tee – Los Angeles is currently offering programming at courses throughout the city including Chester Washington Golf Course, which was the home course of Charlie Sifford, the first Black man to earn a PGA TOUR card. 

“Chester Washington is a gem. It makes you smile when you go on-site because there’s so much diversity. There’s so much happiness and joy on the course,” said Kathy Bihr, vice president of programs at First Tee – Los Angeles. 

Last year, U.S. Open host organization, the United States Golf Association, supported 25 First Tee chapters in their efforts to make golf more accessible to kids from all backgrounds with donations totaling $325,000.  

Learn more about becoming a First Tee coach. 

National Caribbean American Heritage Month: Isabel Matos Finds Her Career Path Through First Tee

Isabel Matos is a First Tee – North Florida alumna, whose father was born and raised in Puerto Rico before moving to North Florida. It was he who introduced Isabel to First Tee when she was 8 years old. She started in classes and since has interned with the chapter, spoke at events and helped to coach while home from school.  

Isabel participated in five national opportunities with First Tee while in high school including the PURE Insurance Championship and Life Skills and Leadership (now Game Changers Academy). She said that her favorite memory from her time with First Tee was participating in PURE and playing at Pebble Beach with Vijay Singh as well as meeting participants from all over the First Tee network. 

“I’ve made great friends within my chapter, but I’ve also made great friends all across the country from those national opportunities that I still talk to to this day,” said Isabel. 

Isabel recently graduated from Southern Wesleyan University a year early with a degree in communications and media studies. She credits First Tee for helping her find her passion for communications and showing her that was what she wanted to do for her career.  

“[First Tee] also taught me to step out of my comfort zone. When I started with First Tee, I was super shy, and I didn’t like talking to anyone and then a couple years later I was speaking in front of thousands of people for them,” she said.  

“They made me realize what my goals in life are.” 

At Southern Wesleyan, Isabel played golf for a year before suffering from an injury and fell in love with the area. She hopes to return to Greenville, South Carolina, to work in public relations. She said that living in South Carolina for school made her appreciate her Puerto Rican heritage as she was often the only Puerto Rican person around. Her family still visits Puerto Rico every year and she enjoys that it makes her different.  

“I love that I am Puerto Rican…I think that it gives me a unique perspective on life,” said Isabel.  

Isabel’s father, Idan Matos, is the chairman of the Board of Directors at First Tee – North Florida. He got involved with First Tee out of appreciation for everything they had done for Isabel. He joined the board to give back to the program.  

National Caribbean American Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States every June. The intention is to celebrate the rich and diverse population that has been contributing to the well-being of American society since its founding. 

Coach Kyle Believes in First Tee’s Positive Impact

Kyle Harris has been the Director at First Tee – Massachusetts for the past five years, but his involvement with First Tee started in Utah in 2012. 

Originally from Cape Cod, Kyle attended The University of Massachusetts Amherst before working in college athletics as a Sports Information Director for 10 years.  

Although Kyle began playing golf while in college, he did not find himself a part of the golf industry until being introduced to First Tee while living in Utah. 

One of Kyle’s friends was working to establish the First Tee – Utah chapter and invited Kyle to join him at a participant recruitment event. The weather was miserable, rainy and cold, and Kyle didn’t understand why they were standing out in it. That was until he met KJ, a young boy who was more than happy to stand out in the rain to try golfing.  

After missing the ball four or five times, he finally hit it and a big smile spread across his face. That was the moment that Kyle realized how impactful First Tee was and he has been involved ever since.  

After that day, Kyle spent much of his time volunteering with First Tee – Utah’s chapter. He helped to get programs off the ground, was a volunteer coach, and oversaw the certification program to help advance participants.  

“Always with this mindset, ‘Man if I ever had a chance to work with First Tee full-time I totally would,’” said Kyle.  

Kyle’s wishes were answered when a position opened at First Tee – Massachusetts. . Although he said he would have taken a job with First Tee anywhere, he appreciates the opportunity to work with members of the community he grew up in.  

“As an adult I’ve learned as much to apply to my own life as I’ve taught to the kids,” he said. 

 “I’m a better dad, I’m a better husband, I’m a better golfer, I’m a better person, I’m a better employee because of First Tee and holding myself to the standards that I want to hold the kids to.”  

Kyle believes that if he had been a part of First Tee growing up, it would have given him a better outlook on the world earlier on. He continues to mentor and encourage participants so that they can foster that positive mindset from the beginning.  

Jewish American Heritage Month: Ethan Selvers shares his faith, love of golf 

Ethan Selvers believes people should be proud of who they are. It’s what inspired him and a group of classmates to speak with their school’s administration and other classmates after anti-Semitic graffiti was found on campus at his high school last year. 

“We spoke about intolerance with everyone in the class. I shared my family’s unique background, and everyone shared theirs as well. It created a very open dialogue that I think definitely helped prevent future issues from developing,” he explained. 

Ethan volunteers with sixth and seventh graders every Wednesday at his synagogue as they prepare for their bar and bat mitzvahs. “I help teach them prayers and also help them learn about Jewish traditions in a way that makes learning fun,” he said. 

In addition to his commitment to his faith, Ethan is a dedicated golfer. He fell in love with the sport after his dad started taking him to the driving range. Now 15, he’s been golfing for over half his life, and he’s been involved with First Tee – Metropolitan New York for all of that time. 

With his positive attitude and passion for the sport, and with the assistance of his First Tee coaches Peter Aloisio and Bill Castner, Ethan secured a caddy position at historic Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, New Jersey, which will host the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship next month. He also volunteers to coach younger players through the First Tee. “I just love golf and hope to help those kids love it as much as I do,” he said. 

Last summer Ethan was selected to attend two First Tee national participant opportunities: the Game Changers Academy honoring Joe Louis Barrow Jr. and the First Tee Leadership Summit in partnership with PGA TOUR Superstore. 

The Game Changers Academy brought together 72 First Tee participants in Philadelphia. “We sat down and discussed really important topics like equality versus equity, diversity and inclusion. Meeting so many different kids from all over the country was eye opening,” Ethan said. He made the most of the opportunity and was named one of the event’s Most Outstanding Participants. 

The Leadership Summit took place in Montana, where his surroundings were picturesque, Ethan said. “At one of the first meetings we learned: ‘Don’t be afraid to be uncomfortable because being uncomfortable leads to change,’” he said, which are words he has tried to live by.  Besides learning leadership skills, Ethan also said that: “The whole trip was phenomenal. We were able to listen to Michael Vick discuss his life experiences, we participated in many incredible activities, and the whole experience really exemplified how working in a group is a great way to foster change.” 

In addition to Ethan’s involvement at First Tee and his synagogue, he’s also a captain of the junior varsity Ultimate Frisbee team at his high school. He is also a dedicated student and loves math and science, which he plans to study at college.  

Learn more about First Tee’s participant opportunities. 

Coach Ben goes above and beyond to teach his students 

Perhaps you know him from First Tee – Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky as Coach Ben, or maybe you recognize him from his online coaching series, Birdies with Ben.   

Birdies with Ben is a video series hosted by Ben Walker, a staff member and alumnus at First Tee – Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky. In the educational videos the chapter posts to its social media pages, Ben gives advice on life and the game of golf.   

By integrating the First Tee curriculum, Ben found an outlet to grow the game with increasing social media engagement from kids, teens, and young adults.   

“As kids and teens are joining social media, I wanted to meet the kids where they are,” said Ben. “I felt it was space where we could add First Tee content.”  

Coach Ben joined his local chapter as a participant in 2008 and worked his way through the program until he graduated from First Tee as an Ace student (the highest certification a participant can achieve within the First Tee network).  

“You come into the program thinking you are going to learn about golf, but you learn so much more about life skills,” said Ben. “I was once very shy, and First Tee helped get me out of my bubble. I felt safe and empowered to be myself and meet other people.”  

He attended Northern Kentucky University, where he was granted an internship to work with the chapter while earning his degree in sports business and event management.  

This opened the door for him as a full-time staff member upon college graduation in 2020.   

Now that Ben is a proud staff member of First Tee – Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky, he cites how rewarding it is for him to reciprocate First Tee’s positive impact on the next generation.  

“First Tee is home. The relationships I’ve built in this program and skills I’ve taken with me have evolved into more than I could’ve ever imagined. I have a genuine love for First Tee and for the game of golf.”  

To see Coach Ben’s Birdies with Ben videos, check them out here!

First Tee Scholar Malisone Chanthapanya becomes first graduate of program 

First Tee has always been a big part of her life, said Malisone Chanthapanya, who has been involved with the program since she was just 5. Now she’s graduating from Texas Wesleyan University, but the First Tee – Fort Worth alumna said she still has deep roots in the organization. 

“First Tee is why I started golf,” she said. “I have a lot of friendships from First Tee, and the relationships I built there keep me connected to the organization.” Mali still volunteers as a coach at First Tee – Fort Worth and occasionally plays golf at chapter events. 

Mali received her bachelor’s degree in finance on May 13. Of course, it was an exciting day for her family and friends, who celebrated with a big party. But it was also a milestone for First Tee as Mali became the initial First Tee Scholar to complete her undergraduate education. 

The First Tee Scholars program provides mentorship, professional development opportunities and up to $20,000 in financial support for exceptional First Tee alumni during their college journeys. 

“All of the Scholars are pretty close. I really like my mentor and the speakers they’ve brought in to talk to us. It’s been interesting to hear from people from all different backgrounds and jobs and experiences,” Mali said. 

As First Tee is preparing to announce its 2023 scholar class, her advice to the group: “I think it’s important to be flexible and to manage your time well.  The workload is really different than high school, especially being away from home for the first time.” 

Mali completed her degree in just two years. She’s always been ahead of the curve: She was the youngest participant from First Tee – Fort Worth ever to earn her ACE certification, the highest achievement First Tee offers. 

Mali won’t be leaving Fort Worth after graduation. She’s a member of the Texas Wesleyan golf team and still has two years of eligibility remaining. She’ll continue to play for the team as a grad student. 

“Honestly sometimes I complain about missing school or balancing golf and schoolwork, but playing with the team has been my favorite part of my college experience. I’m able to travel and do what I love, meet new people and play new golf courses,” she said. 

Mali was named to the All-Conference team as a sophomore. Playing at nationals during freshman year is her favorite collegiate golf memory so far. Her team finished eighth. “I really enjoyed spending time with them throughout the year, so that was just a fun end to the season,” she said. 

In graduate school, Mali plans to focus on data analytics and supply chain management. 

Learn more about the First Tee Scholars program

New Study: 9 out of 10 parents are losing sleep, concerned about the state of their child’s development and well-being

85% of parents fear character is a “lost value” & many are looking to extracurriculars (including sports-based programs) to help bridge the gap

PONTE VEDRA, Florida, May 10, 2023 – Character is a “lost value,” according to 85% of parents surveyed by youth development organization First Tee and Harris Poll, a market research and analytics company that has been tracking the sentiment of American adults since 1963. According to the new research, parents believe kids need regular opportunities to build character, and they’ve found extracurricular activities like First Tee can help fill the gap.

Eighty-seven percent of parents say they’ve lost sleep over their kids’ well-being. Contributing factors include bullying (41%), the impact of social media (37%) and technology (35%), and peer pressure (36%). Six in 10 parents say their children have a high level of stress, with the majority saying they are concerned about their children’s emotional (60%), behavioral (59%), social (58%), academic (55%), and physical health (55%).

More than 75% of parents agree that playing golf helps children build character and learn important life skills, benefits that are especially critical today as kids face new challenges that are keeping parents up at night.

First Tee is currently undergoing a multi-year business evolution that’s designed to better meet the changing needs of today’s kids and families. The organization launched an updated curriculum last year that’s being implemented by trained coaches in all 50 states and select international locations.

“The findings from Harris Poll support First Tee’s efforts to impact kids beyond the golf course, using sports as a launchpad to introduce key character-building concepts like resilience, leadership and teamwork,” said First Tee CEO Greg McLaughlin. “Parents clearly value these types of opportunities for their kids, and we are committed to making First Tee programming available to families of all means and backgrounds.”

Extracurriculars can help kids build character and confidence

Sixty percent of parents enroll their kids in extracurricular activities to help them build confidence, according to the survey data. Eight of 10 parents say development is more important than recreation when it comes to extracurricular activities. Popular reasons parents put their kids in extracurriculars include socialization (66%), physical outlet (62%), build confidence (60%) and pursue interests (53%).

Sports are the most popular extracurricular activity for kids, with most parents of young athletes reporting that sports have had a positive impact on their kids’ social (94%), physical (93%), behavioral (93%) and emotional (92%) health. Hobbies like coding, music and art trail sports in popularity, followed by scouting.

An ethnicity and socioeconomic “opportunity gap” apparent for parents

While 87% of all parents are losing sleep over concerns for their child’s well-being, the number is higher for Black parents (93%). Black families are least likely (63%) to enroll their kids in activities outside of school, compared to Asian and Pacific Islander families, who are most likely (79%). Families that earn less than $50,000 per year are 27% less likely to enroll their kids in extracurriculars compared to families that earn more than $100,000 annually, highlighting the importance of making youth activities affordable and accessible.

To collect this data, Harris Poll surveyed more than 2,000 U.S. adults in March of 2023, including 542 parents of kids under 18. This is the first of three First Tee/Harris Poll surveys to be conducted through 2025. To learn more about First Tee and to download the report in its entirety, please visit firsttee.org/charactergap.  

About The Harris Poll
 The Harris Poll is a global consulting and market research firm that strives to reveal the authentic values of modern society to inspire leaders to create a better tomorrow. It works with clients in three primary areas: building twenty-first-century corporate reputation, crafting brand strategy and performance tracking, and earning organic media through public relations research. One of the longest-running surveys in the U.S., The Harris Poll has tracked public opinion, motivations, and social sentiment since 1963, and is now part of Stagwell, the challenger holding company built to transform marketing.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:    

Megan Hart, First Tee    

[email protected]

(904) 940-4348

Coach Joe: ‘This program has taught me to become a better coach and father’ 

Joseph Goh, or Coach Joe as many know him from First Tee – Greater Dallas, has been a coach for more than 17 years. He sat on the board of directors for the Greater Dallas chapter until focusing his time as a volunteer coach, where he made it his goal to recruit other volunteers. 

Originally from Singapore, Joe started his journey as a coach through First Tee – Singapore and moved to the United States after his technology company was bought out by a company in Dallas. Eventually, he and his wife planted themselves in Texas and started their own family.  

“First Tee is more than a golf instruction program; we teach life skills. This program has taught me to become a better coach and father because of it,” he said. 

He enrolled his two children in the program and the rest became history.  

His two kids participated in First Tee throughout high school. His oldest, Jonathan, attended the University of California, Los Angeles and graduated in 2021 with a major in electrical engineering. He currently works at Amazon Robotics in Boston as a hardware development engineer. 

His youngest daughter, Joni, is attending the University of Texas in Austin and will graduate in May 2023 with her degree in architecture engineering. She is currently an intern at The Boring Company and will be working with Southland Holdings as a business development associate. 

“I want to emphasize that the First Tee program has built a foundation for its participants, including my own kids,” said Joe.  

He makes it his mission to positively impact and equally empower First Tee participants with the skills and opportunities they need to be successful.  

“As a volunteer coach at First Tee, I could change the trajectory of a child’s life,” he said. “No other organization gives me the opportunity to impact another’s life and add value to them like First Tee would.” 

Joe, like many other First Tee coaches, is just one of many unique stories that make First Tee’s impact so profound. If one person can make a difference, a difference can be made upon a multitude of generations.  

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A small idea that led to a mission to Save Our Salmon

Austin Picinich, an 18-year-old participant at First Tee – Greater Seattle, is using his passion for art to paint Save Our Salmon Murals in Seattle, Washington. Today may be Earth Day – but for Austin, every day is Earth Day.

Here is Austin, in his own words:

Living in the Pacific Northwest, nature surrounds me. I enjoy nature outdoors on the golf course and I am currently in my 11th year with First Tee – Greater Seattle.

Off the course, I’m an avid artist.

In 2021, I was selected to attend the Innovators Forum – a leadership summit of 28 teens from First Tee chapters across the country. I spent the week in San Jose, California learning about innovation, leadership, and sustainability. Each of us First Tee students were tasked with developing our own innovative service projects to implement in our communities.

When I learned that Juanita Creek – the salmon-spawning stream less than a minute from my home in Kirkland, WA – had only three salmon return to spawn, I had identified the focus for my Innovators Forum project. But, as a high-schooler, I couldn’t envision how to make a difference; it initially felt like “too big of a problem to solve”.

First Tee encouraged me to think outside the box. I narrowed down the problem: Juanita Creek is hidden in a culvert, and a missing link is neighbors not knowing how to care for the stream. I decided to use my knack for art and passion for the environment to educate my community about Juanita Creek and its salmon.

I found the perfect “canvas” to bring my public art project to life – a 112-foot blank wall along Juanita Creek. I named my project the “Save Our Salmon” (SOS) Mural.

This wasn’t my first mural – in fact, First Tee gave me my first public art experience back in 2019. I painted a mural in the clubhouse of Crossroads Par 3 Golf Course, the course where I started golfing at First Tee – Greater Seattle.

My goal wasn’t just to create a mural that’s nice to look at – but a mural that teaches and inspires my community to protect salmon. I hosted a Community Paint Day leading 170 volunteer painters, ages 4 to 74, to “paint-by-number” the 112-foot blank wall – transforming it into vibrant public art, while teaching attendees how to become better stewards of Juanita Creek.

The Seattle Times summed up my project as, “it takes a village to paint a mural. Sometimes it takes a teen to bring a town together”.

First Tee inspired my confidence as a leader. I stepped up from an artist who enjoyed nature while golfing, to a leader actively protecting nature. I developed confidence in my leadership while a First Tee staff coach at Crossroads.

Since the first mural, I’ve painted two more SOS Murals along McAleer Creek. In total, I’ve led 370 painters and 1,000 event attendees painting 300 feet of “art-ivism” walls.

I tapped into another skill from First Tee: marketing. I’m now currently the Director of Marketing & Communications for First Tee – Greater Seattle’s Junior Advisory Board (JAB) where I create flyers and graphics for JAB.

I create SOS merchandise sold in a dozen local shops. So far, I’ve raised $23,541 with 100% of proceeds supporting stream restoration – an impact that continues long after the paint dries.

In 2023, I’ll be leading five new SOS Murals – with seven new streams each benefitting with a mural – and a projected 4,000 attendees.

Save Our Salmon Through Art is now nationally-awarded – I won the Barron Prize for Young Heroes, and SOS was named one of the top 15 international projects making communities and the environment a better place.

It all started as my idea at the First Tee Innovators Forum, with support from experience I gained from First Tee opportunities in leadership, marketing, and murals.

Prestigious Payne Fellowship will enable First Tee alumna Karrington Knight to help others 

Karrington Knight has been interested in global politics since middle school. Now she’s getting ready to embark on a career that could take her all over the world. 

An alumna of First Tee – Greater New Orleans, Knight recently received the competitive Donald M. Payne International Development Fellowship that will facilitate a career with the U.S. Agency for International Development, which aims to reduce poverty and promote democracy abroad. 

Knight graduated last year from Rhodes College in Memphis, where she was a team captain of the golf team. She’s heading to the nation’s capital this fall for graduate school, where she’ll study international affairs with a concentration in democracy and government. Through the Fellowship, she’ll also spend one summer working at a congressional office in Washington, D.C. and another at a U.S. embassy abroad. Then she’ll spend at least five years in the USAID foreign service after graduation. 

“In high school and in college I was able to have teachers and professors foster that passion of mine,” Knight said. “Now I’ve found exactly what I want to do. I’ll be able to go to South America and work in politics and with indigenous populations. It’s everything I’ve wanted all wrapped into one.” 

As an undergraduate student, Knight minored in Spanish and wrote a thesis on indigenous political parties in Bolivia and Guatemala. She’s looking forward to working on the continent – especially after the COVID-19 pandemic dashed her plans to study abroad in 2020. And that’s not the only change she’s experienced in the last few years. 

“My original plan was to attend law school after graduating, but something just didn’t feel right,” Knight explained. “I think a big part of planning is allowing yourself to take a step back and reevaluate your goals.”  

One thing that’s for sure is golf will continue to play a role in Knight’s life. “It’s growing all over the world,” she said. “I would love to integrate golf into international development. There’s so much you can learn from golf, and it can bring people together.” 

Knight first got into the sport when she was young and would ride in the cart with her dad. “He’d let me sit in his lap to drive,” she recalled. “After always going out with him, my parents put me in First Tee just to see if I’d take to it, and the rest is history.” 

She’s still connected with First Tee – Greater New Orleans as chair of the chapter’s alumni committee. “I think it’s important to stay involved because First Tee gave me such a great foundation, not only for golf but just as a person,” she said. “Especially for Black girls, it’s important for them to see that golf might not be a very popular sport right now but it can be rewarding in the long run.” 

As committee chair, Knight keeps in contact with other First Tee – Greater New Orleans alumni and serves as a liaison between them and the chapter. She also helps the chapter find alumni to speak at classes and events. 

She’s happy to give back to the organization, she said. “First Tee has nurtured me at every stage of my life. It’s something where a lot of other youth organizations fall short. I just praise First Tee so much for seeing who I was as an individual and catering to what I needed at each stage of my life,” she said. 

Learn more about the First Tee Alumni Network.