The national event, “Drive Your Future,” held in San Francisco from October 5–9, reinforces the organization’s commitment to empowering girls
This October, First Tee-Howard County teen participant Kavya Shah will travel to San Francisco for the John Deere Drive Your Future Academy, along with 23 other girls from First Tee chapters nationwide. The all-girls professional development academy is hosted by First Tee and John Deere and focuses on empowering the girls to leverage opportunities available through their participation in golf and First Tee, and recognize the importance of building a strong network.
Kavya, a junior at Atholton High School in Columbia, shared that “I am specifically interested in the opportunity to meet with female leaders in STEM and learn how they have grown to be successful in this industry. Since I have my own nonprofit organization, 2K Coding, which introduces children to STEM, I want to implement the knowledge and skills I learn in this program to grow my organization. Overall, First Tee has and will continue to help me accomplish goals by emphasizing the value of perseverance and hard work.”
Throughout the week-long academy, the girls will participate in interactive workshops and hear from female industry leaders in technology, STEM, and business development. In addition, they’ll play golf at the Lake Merced Golf Club and the new Golden Gate Park Par 3 Course, where they will build upon their connections with other participants from around the country and hear different perspectives from their peers.
The event reinforces First Tee’s commitment to empowering girls through its programs, which are offered through 150 chapters in 1400 golf course locations. More than 80% of chapters offer dedicated programming for girls, intentionally inviting and engaging them in a variety of opportunities. Girls who stay in First Tee programs have the opportunity to apply for all national events, including Drive Your Future.
The teens were selected for the Drive Your Future Academy through a national application process based on essays, letters of recommendation, and involvement in First Tee and other activities.
John Deere is a Trustee of First Tee and has supported the organization since 2012.