UNC-Pembroke Freshman | Forest Hills Central HS
In the spring of ’24, Maya wrapped up her 9th and final year as a First Tee participant, graduating from Forest Hills Central and winning all-conference honors on the golf team multiple times. In her final three years at First Tee, Maya also participated in First Tee’s Junior Coach Program, learning leadership skills and teaching the next generation of First Tee students, alongside high schooler Lyla Chrisman (story below), who highlighted Maya as an inspiration for her. Maya also gave back by participating for five years in First Tee’s Golf Marathon Fundraiser, raising thousands of dollars for our participants on scholarship. Now, Maya is a freshman playing Division 2 golf at UNC – Pembroke.
Maya, with her family on signing day in 2023
Maya began the program as shy and soft-spoken, but two mentors helped shape her into a confident, goal-setting adult.
Maya, right, with two other First Tee participants (Fern B. and Grace P.) in 2017
“My first mentor was Coach Andre. He really helped build my confidence as well as help me discover my love for the game of golf. My most impactful mentor was Coach Taylor, as I worked with her through my younger years in the program. She helped me see I was capable of anything I wanted. As a girl, she told me I could be as successful as the boys around me.”
“Coach Taylor helped my confidence grow and my doubts settle.
Through her, I could see my potential and she encouraged me to keep going until I reached the goals I had set for myself.
I got to see how strong and capable I was.”
First Tee youngsters saw firsthand how capable Maya was as she junior coached. As a 16-year-old Maya applied and was selected for First Tee Game Changers Academy, spending a week in Philadelphia with 80 of her peers throughout the network. The year following, Maya applied and was selected for First Tee’s Participant Advisory Council, just one of eight students selected for the honor. She spent a week with peers from other chapters in Jacksonville, FL, helping to make First Tee an even more impactful program.
Maya in Philadelphia at the First Tee Game Changers Academy as a 16-year-old.
Maya at First Tee Participant Advisory Council in Jacksonville, FL as a 17-year-old
“With the help of First Tee, I’m now living out my dream, playing D2 collegiate golf. I plan to major in psychology so that one day I can become a sports psychologist.
Mentors matter for me, and with your support, it can matter for the 8-year-olds coming to First Tee this spring and summer.”
Help First Tee impact more students like Maya by pledging to one of our Golf Marathoners! With your help, we can employ 50+ teenagers like Maya in 2025 as they shape the next generation of students.