Dear Mr. Michael Rudin,

My name is Tin Lon Chiu, the class of 2024 Lew Rudin Scholar. I wanted to personally thank you for your generosity in continuing to support First Tee and allowing them to provide truly unforgettable experiences and alleviating the financial burden of attending college for participants like me. My journey at First Tee – Metropolitan New York started seven years ago at the Brooklyn Campus. I was new to the game of golf, and my father decided to bring us to the driving range to gauge my interest. With our first token in hand, my father noticed the stack of First Tee pamphlets and took one home. After the driving range session, my parents discussed enrolling me within the First Tee to explore the game of golf since no one in our family knew how to play. My mother, being the education-oriented parent, brought up the fact that the pamphlet mentioned an opportunity to get a scholarship to NYU. It would be a long way before any of us started to think about college. Within the next week, we signed up for our first class

First Tee has provided me with opportunities from the beginning, allowing me to apply what I’ve learned from the Life Skills Experience to the real world. Shortly after my first introduction to community service in the First Tee, I volunteered with class operations. What initially began as collecting buckets and refilling stalls turned into assisting the coaches run First Tee and PGA Junior summer camps.  Helping to pass down the same set of skills I learned as a participant dramatically developed my character while also reinforcing all that I’ve learned. I can say with confidence that my experience volunteering for First Tee has served as the inspiration to participate in other community service opportunities. Currently, I am a volunteer tutor for a non-profit organization that offers free high school and standardized test tutoring to financially disadvantaged students over the internet. In the upcoming fall semester, I plan to teach introductory college-level Calculus and Economics to other high school students over the internet.

Aside from volunteering, I took part in an interfacility travel team and competed in a variety of golf tournament leagues. Being a part of First Tee – Metropolitan New York has allowed me to dive deeper into the game of golf and ultimately forge relationships that I know will last a lifetime. With each new season, hundreds of new participants get the chance to play at truly remarkable courses or start their competitive golf journey. Over these seven and a half years, I have gained fond memories, an incredibly supportive community, and lessons that I know have made their mark will continue to do so throughout my life. To this day, I remain astonished at how I’ve been able to meet such diverse people, participate in truly once in a lifetime opportunities, and develop myself – all through a swing of a club.Respectfully,

Tin Lon Chiu
First Tee – Metropolitan New York Participant and Class of 2024 Lew Rudin Scholar