Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. – (May 14, 2024) – Four years ago, President George W. Bush had a big surprise for seven exemplary First Tee participants. First Tee’s honorary chair told the teens they were selected as inaugural members of the First Tee College Scholarship Program. Now the organization is thrilled to celebrate their graduation.
“Congratulations to the first graduating class of First Tee College Scholarship Program,” said First Tee CEO Greg McLaughlin. “We are very proud of your hard work and commitment, and we look forward to watching you move into the next stages of your journey. First Tee is proud to have played a role in your development.”
“First Tee is family,” said Ricky Lam, a First Tee Scholar who is graduating from Harvard University and pursuing a career in insurance. “Ultimately First Tee is a place where you have such a strong support system to be able to pursue your passions, ask for help, expand your horizons and network so you can be the person you strive to be.”
The First Tee College Scholarship Program is a need- and merit-based scholarship program through which Scholars receive financial support and access to a wide range of professional development opportunities. Each Scholar is paired with an adult mentor to ensure they are equipped with the tools they need to be successful in college and beyond.
“The First Tee College Scholarship Program really helped me find connections, especially with my mentor,” said Malisone Chanthanpanya, now a graduate student and member of the golf team at Texas Wesleyan University. Mali is one of three Scholars who graduated early to bring the total number of graduated First Tee Scholars to 10. “She was a great resource who I could talk to about not just college and my career but about life. I got to meet a lot of people through the scholarship program.”
The First Tee College Scholarship Program was launched in 2020, and it recognizes First Tee participants who have shown dedication to academics, community service and their First Tee chapters. It has since grown to include 70 Scholars, with the 2024 class slated to be announced next month.
Meet the graduates:
Luke Boldt
First Tee – Coastal Carolina / East Carolina University
He has accepted a position as a medical missionary for two years and plans to apply to medical school.
Malisone Chanthanpanya
First Tee – Fort Worth / Texas Wesleyan University
She’s in graduate school and prepping for LPGA Q-school in the fall.
Jessica Jiao
First Tee – Metropolitan New York / Georgetown University
She has accepted a position with BNP Paribas Bank in its equity capital markets department in New York.
Ricky Lam
First Tee–Tri-Valley / Harvard University
He has accepted a position with Sompo as a commercial underwriter.
Kelly Low
First Tee – Fort Worth / University of Texas at Dallas
She has accepted an offer with Amazon Web Services as an associate solutions architect in Austin.
Nicole Monsalve
First Tee – Miami / Duke University
She has accepted a position with the NFL in its two-year rotation program in New York.
Sara Rintoul
First Tee – Central Florida / University of Florida
She has accepted an offer at Proctor & Gamble as a brand manager in Boston.
Remi Shendell
First Tee – Metropolitan New York / Emory University
She is graduating with a double-major in biology and political science.
Borina Sutiko
First Tee – Silicon Valley / Santa Clara University
She hopes to attend Cal Berkely this fall to earn her master’s in information systems.
Denise Wei
First Tee – San Francisco / University of California, Irvine
She has accepted an offer with PwC in its audit division.