When Jetty Sivongsay first began with SCGA Junior, he was just excited about the chance to play golf and get better. Now a senior in high school, he’s expanding his connection with SCGA Junior to help him play collegiately.
After months of college prep programming, Sivongsay is excited to see where his next step will be in his golf and academic career, and helping guide him on this path is college golf counselor Ted Gleason. Gleason and Sivongsay have been working together to develop a list of schools of interest, communicating with the school’s golf coaches and strategizing about what tournaments to play.
“What draws me to Jetty is that he wants to figure out where he can potentially play and what those options are,” Gleason said. “He really cares, and he wants to find where his place is. He’s willing to put in the time and work.”
Sivongsay’s goal is to play golf in college, but he isn’t ruling out other options as well. “The reason I want to go to college is to compete and see where collegiate golf can take me,” Sivongsay said. “On top of that, being able to get an education at the same time is great.”
Academically, Sivongsay has expressed interest in majoring in business administration and the PGA Golf Management University Program, with the end goal of working in the golf industry in some capacity.
“Working with Coach Ted has definitely prepared me,” Sivongsay said. “He’s given me pointers on what college coaches will be looking for. Academically, he has helped me by working with my counselors for all my UC and Cal State requirements.”
Gleason is working to find the best fit for Sivongsay, considering golf, school and myriad other factors.
“There’s a competitive level for everybody, it’s just a matter of figuring out the schools where their level of competitiveness matches up, and also the schools that they really love,” Gleason said. “It’s super important that when you go to a school, if you take golf out of the equation, you still love the school.”
The goal of the SCGA Junior slate of college programming is to help all high schoolers access the resources and knowledge that they need in order to get to college.
“People don’t know what’s available and I’m all about trying to help people understand what is available,” Gleason said. “It’s about helping bring things to people’s attention. Then, maybe they have the knowledge to go down a path that they otherwise wouldn’t even have known about.”
Read the full story here.
The SCGA Junior Golf Foundation creates local golf communities that provide a safe, supportive and encouraging environment for youth to enjoy the game, explore their future and develop the necessary skills to achieve their goals. SCGA Junior inspires kids by creating a fun, engaged community that develops character through mentorship and empowerment.
The COPi Cup, presented by Legistics, is an Interclub Pro-Am Invitational benefitting the SCGA Junior Scholarship Fund. The COPi Cup was conceived with Competition, Camaraderie, and Charity foremost in mind. Charity in support of those who assist the dreams of our young adults. The Southern California Golf Association Junior Scholarship Fund allows students to continue advancement in their education. Thanks to the generosity of our players, to date we have raised $645,000 for scholarships for young golfers.