Our graduating high school seniors will soon venture off to the next chapter of their lives as they transition from participants to alumni and start their collegiate careers. They’ve put in the hard work, dedication and have persevered to get to this point. This is a major milestone and while graduation may look a little different this year, this is a moment in time to pause and be proud of all they have accomplished so far.
To celebrate the 2020 graduating class, we have put together a list of 20 First Tee seniors to celebrate their achievements.
RISHI AJJARAPU, FIRST TEE OF SILICON VALLEY
- College: Rutgers University, New Brunswick
- Major: Double Major in Business Analytics and Information Technology & Finance
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? I’m extremely proud of the way that our FBLA team did at the 2019 California FBLA States Competition. The 2019 California FBLA States took place in late March however, our work started in August. The steps included building a committee, building a mission statement, and then executing a project that we would later present.
Caleb Ashley, First Tee of Pine Mountain
- College: Morehead State University
- Major: Biomedical Sciences (Pre-Med Track)
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Being named Valedictorian of my high school and being selected to participate in the 2019 PURE Insurance Championship at Pebble Beach.
Izabelle Ballin, First Tee of Greater Houston
- College: San Jacinto College
- Major: Undecided
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Being able to say I competed in the Junior Olympics for track and field.
Stephen Dai, First Tee of Greater Seattle
- College: Carnegie Mellon University
- Major: Electrical & Computer Engineering
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Getting top-5 in an AJGA event! Definitely marked a time I was at the top of my game.
Anthony Ford III, First Tee of Metro Atlanta
- College: Carolina A&T
- Major: Undecided
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Winning the State Championship in 2019
Lukas Freelove, First Tee of Salina
- College: Kansas State University
- Major: Landscape Architecture
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Working hard in school. I’m eager to see those efforts pay off in college.
Vivian Guite, First Tee of Naples/Collier
- College: University of South Florida
- Major: Undecided
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? I’m proud to have represented First Tee of Naples/Collier at the PURE Insurance Championship and of becoming a well-rounded individual and role model for others.
Ralph Kho, First Tee of Silicon Valley
- College: University of Dallas
- Major: Business
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Setting and following goals, especially making the varsity golf team as a freshman.
Ashley Knepshield, First Tee of Greater Sacramento
- College: Santa Monica College
- Major: Undecided
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Being awarded my chapter’s Core Value Award in 2017.
Kayli Lucas, First Tee of Tennessee
- College: University of Alabama
- Major: Biology
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Being accepted into four First Tee national opportunities in a single academic year.
Logan Lurie, First Tee of Howard County
- College: University of Maryland, College Park
- Major: International Business Major; hoping to double-major in Economics
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Winning the Coca-Cola America’s Future Scholarship. Being selected for this scholarship proved how much I have grown with First Tee!
Isabel Matos, First Tee of North Florida
- College: Southern Wesleyan University
- Major: Communications with a concentration in Media Production
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Maintaining a 4.0 GPA and helping our high school golf team to place top-10 in states for three years.
Jacob Allen McGill, First Tee of Greater Trenton
- College: Penn State Brandywine
- Major: Undecided
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? I represented the First Tee of Greater Trenton in the 2015 Northeast Regional Championship in Pittsburgh where I won honors for the overall best score for the boys.
Mika Miyata, First Tee of Phoenix
- College: University of Nebraska Omaha
- Major: Undecided
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Getting a scholarship to play Division I collegiate golf.
Austin Murphy, First Tee of Green Valley Ranch
- College: Prairie View A&M University
- Major: Business Administration, Management and Operations
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Some accomplishments that I am proud of include being valedictorian for my middle school graduating class, earning scholarships, graduating high school and participating in varsity sports. But I believe that being able to represent my middle school as an Aurora Scholar in 2016 was probably my proudest accomplishment.
Lauren Parayno, First Tee of Fresno
- College: Dominican University of California
- Major: Nursing
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Winning the Areas Tournament with a 68 as a freshman
Hailey Pendleton, First Tee of Greater Charlotte
- College: University of North Carolina at Asheville
- Major: Biology
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Getting a scholarship to play Division I College Golf. Playing collegiate golf was always one of my biggest dreams and it proves to me that hard work pays off.
Owen Porter, First Tee of Greater Washington, D.C.
- College: Centre College
- Major: Economics
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Achieving Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.
Shani Waite, First Tee of Los Angeles
- College: Prairie View A&M University
- Major: Undecided
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Participating in the 2019 PURE Insurance Championship.
Taleah Washington, First Tee of Fort Worth
- College: Prairie View A&M University
- Major: Computer Engineering
- What accomplishment are you most proud of? Being nominated for the Texas UIL District 7-6A All-State Team with just four years of golf experience.
