Meet the Scholars

The SCGA Junior Scholarship Program is designed to help youth continue their education in college or vocational school. This year, $175,000 will be distributed to 53 students for tuition, room and board, and educational supplies.

Class of 2023

Devin Hernandez

UC Santa Barbara

Devin will study psychology at UCSB. One of his favorite SCGA Junior memories was the Mentor Play Day at North Ranch CC because of the special atmosphere and opportunity to connect with adults both on and off the course. He also participated in the SCGA Junior College Prep Program. Devin is an Eagle Scout who has earned several honors and awards during his involvement. Devin graduated from La Habra High School.

Jacob Lewis

The Master’s University, 2019 Livingston Foundation Scholar 

Jacob will attend The Master’s University and plans to study Kinesiology while also competing on the men’s golf team. He aspires to be a physical therapist.  Jacob loves to work with younger kids learning the game and has been an SCGA Junior coach for the past year. He has volunteered with several different humanitarian services including food banks, foundations and schools. Jacob also enjoys hiking, traveling and photography. He attended La Mirada High School.

Andres Navarro

Cal State Dominguez Hills

A graduate of Montebello High School, Andres will compete on the golf team at Cal State Dominguez Hills while he pursues his business and finance degrees. Having the opportunity to play and get to know other juniors and his mentor at the Los Angeles Country Club Play Day was his favorite SCGA Junior activity. In the future, Andres plans to start his own company that will seek financial solutions for golfers.

Jason Platt

Cal State Fullerton

Jason will study biotechnology at Cal State Fullerton. Jason’s career goal is to become a bioengineer and he plans to research genetic diseases with the hopes of finding cures.  He enjoys teaching kids to learn golf, and always wants to give back to his community. Jason served as an SCGA Junior coach throughout his time in high school. He attended La Serna High School.

Juliette Ruaux

Occidental College, 2019 COPi Cup Scholar 

Juliette will attend Occidental College where she will study biology and play on the women’s golf team. She fell in love with Occidental when she was a sophomore in high school and visited campus as part of an educational outing through SCGA Junior. She has also served on the Girls Golf of Southeast LA Girls Leadership Team. She was the captain for her high school’s golf team at Millikan High School.  Learn more about Juliette here.

Moriah Spann

Cal Baptist University 

Moriah will pursue degrees in education and English at California Baptist University. Her favorite SCGA Junior activity has been volunteering as a caddie at fundraising events. She developed a passion for the sport by listening and learning a lot of golf stories and shared her enthusiasm with those around her. When Moriah finishes her undergraduate, she intends to teach English abroad. She graduated from Ruben S. Ayala High School. 

Class of 2022

Darla Christensen

San Diego State University

Darla graduated from Patrick Henry High School. She will attend San Diego State University in the fall and study Environmental Science. After receiving her undergraduate degree, she plans to attend law school. Darla volunteers for I Love a Clean San Diego and Pro Kids. She has been involved with SCGA Junior for six years and has attended several club and educational outings.

John Garcia

UC Santa Barbara

John graduated from Schurr High School. He will attend UC Santa Barbara in the fall and study Business Management. He has volunteered his time as a Pi Club Tutor in Math and Writing and was an assistant to Coach Justin of SCGA. John has been a member of SCGA Junior for seven years. His favorite activity through SCGA Junior was the opportunity to play at Bel-Air Country club through one of the Play Days.

Natalie Gonzalez

Whittier College

Natalie graduated from Santa Fe High School. She is planning to attend Whittier College and compete on the women’s golf team. She was involved in several extracurricular activities including being a member of Student Government, Black and Gold Nation, and was a Link Crew Leader. She is very involved in SCGA Junior and is annual one of the top fundraisers for the annual Golf-A-Thon event.

Salvador Hinojosa

Whittier College. 2018 Duff Scholar

Sal graduated from Downey High School. He plans to study criminal justice at Whittier College while competing on the men’s golf team. His career goal is to work in law enforcement to help protect people in his community. Sal has remained active in SCGA Junior programs by participating in Play Days and was selected to participate in the annual Friends of Golf clinic alongside Bryson DeChambeau. He plans to continue to give back to SCGA Junior by being a mentor and coach for juniors in the program.

Martin Perez

Chapman University

Martin graduated from Cypress High School and will attend Chapman University in the fall. He will study pre-pharmacy. He has been involved with SCGA Junior and has played golf for over eight years. His favorite event from SCGA Junior was the college tour of Occidental College, his first ever college tour. When he is not playing golf, Martin enjoys reading fiction novels and playing various sports such as basketball and volleyball.

Calista Reyes

Stanford University, 2018 COPi Cup Scholar

Calista graduated from Rancho Bernardo High School. She will be attending Stanford University in the fall and will compete on the women’s golf team. She plans on pursuing a degree in Management Science and Engineering. Calista has been involved with SCGA Junior for five years. Her favorite event was SCGA Junior’s ANA Junior Inspiration because she played alongside LPGA legend Betsy King. She volunteers in her community through First Tee of San Diego and helps the SCGA Junior program as a mentor for beginner golfers.

Elizabeth Wang

Harvard University, 2018 SCGA President’s Scholar

Elizabeth graduated from San Marino High School. She will attend Harvard University in the fall and compete on the women’s golf team. She plans on turning professional after receiving her degree. Elizabeth credits the SCGA Junior Golf Pass as a significant part of her success because she could play and practice on several courses at a discounted rate. She also competed in the SCGA Junior ANA Junior Inspiration and has volunteered with the Player and Youth Development program.  Besides playing golf, she enjoys reading and listening to music.

Class of 2021

Matthew Carungay

Loyola Marymount University, 2017 Friends of Golf Scholar

Matthew will be entering his second year at LMU this fall. He is a student athlete and majoring in Psychology. This past year, aside from his academics and collegiate career, he has become heavily involved with a campus ministry and the Filipino Club. He remains actives with SCGA Junior, travelling to the desert to speak on behalf of the program. He also has volunteered with our Player and Youth Development program at the Don Knabe Golf Center, playing and sharing his experiences with the youth.

Jessica Hernandez

Cal Poly Pomona

Jessica is studying Aerospace Engineering with a dream of working at SpaceX or NASA. Despite the course load, Jessica has a part time job at Chick-Fil-A and is a volunteer at her church. She hopes to proudly represent Latina women in a field where there are not many of them. Jessica remains heavily involved with SCGA Junior by volunteering at SCGA events such as the Woman’s SoCal Clinic, Summer Series, and the Foundation Cup.

Blake Petchel

Mt. San Jacinto College

Blake is in his second year at Mt. San Jacinto College studying business. He continues to have a heart for youth and passing on the knowledge he has learned from golf. When Blake is not on the golf course he enjoys racing motocross and playing soccer.

Emily Sumner

Santa Clara University

Emily has enjoyed her first year at Santa Clara University. She is studying Bioengineering with the goal of becoming a Pediatric Anesthesiologist. She joined the Christian Life Community Club and continues her competitive golf career on Santa Clara’s travel golf team. She continues to be engaged with SCGA Junior, joining us for the annual Golf-A-Thon, Foundation Cup and Club Outings.

Class of 2020

Veronica Chen

Colgate University

Veronica is studying English with a minor in Political Science. She is interested in pursing a career in Journalism or Entertainment Public Relations. She is very active on campus as she is involved with the Office of Admission, Campus Safety Advisory Committee and an editor of the Colgate newspaper. She plans to work at the Seven Oaks’ Pro Shop next semester and has been accepted to participate in Colgate’s Scotland Study Group, where she will enroll as a student at the University of St. Andrews next spring.

Natalia Gonzalez

UCLA

Natalia is passionate about helping her local community and credits being  involved as part of her reasoning in wanted to become an educator. She hopes to find ways to help make and impact in the local community, as she continues her internship with  56^th Assembly Member, Eduardo Garcia. Natalia is thankful to the game of golf, that she is now able to use a sport she loves as a place of peace.

Brian Legaspi

UC Irvine

Brian is studying Pollical Science with thoughts of pursing a city planning career. Brian currently volunteers with the Buena Park Welcome Center and continues tutoring with his alma mater, Buena Park High School. Brian prides himself on giving back to his community and strives to search for ways of making his city a better one.

Marni Murez

Santa Clara University, 2016 COPi Cup Scholar

Marni transferred from Boston College this past year and even with a heavy course load as a   Neuroscience major, she had an impressive golf year with SCU and posted a 75.27 scoring average. She ranks third on the team with two top ten finishes. Marni is also involved with the Santa Clara Jewish Student Union and the Hillel of the Silicon Valley.

Bailey Osborne

UCLA

Bailey is a Physiology major with a Spanish minor. Bailey credits golf as being the one constant in her life, and how the lessons taught in playing the game has guided her throughout her college life.

Christina Park

UPenn

Christina is an Economics major with concentrations in Finance and Management all while playing on the UPenn Women’s Golf Team. She is also the VP of External Affairs with the Phi Gamma Nu Business Fraternity and a Committee Member with Hult Prize. After graduation Christina is interested in a career in management consulting.

Steven Torres

Cal State Los Angeles, 2016 Friends of Golf Scholar

Steven is pursuing a degree in Electrical Engineering. He also dedicates a lot of his time to our SCGA Junior Player and Youth Development juniors as a coach. He understands and emphasizes giving back to his community through the sport he loves playing.

Class of 2019

Rachel Chandler

Cal Poly SLO

Rachel was admitted to the Masters program in architectural engineering and will be graduating next year with both her Bachelors and Masters degrees. Rachel is very active in her academic life as she is part of the Structural Engineering Association of California, the Student Community Services Department and teaches Calculus with the Math Department. She was also selected to complete earthquake reconnaissance work in Mexico City as a representative of her school.

Michael Padilla

Marymount California University

Michael will be finishing his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in just three years and has been admitted to an MBA program with eyes set on graduating next year. On top of his successes in school, he is also the number one player on the men’s golf team. Michael is an active volunteer with SCGA Junior and was awarded the SCGA Jim House Award alongside his family which recognizes an outstanding volunteer annually.

Lauren Fesler

California Lutheran University, 2015 Duff Scholar

Lauren will be graduating this upcoming year with a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management, with hopes of working within the golf industry. In addition to her achievements in academics and golf, Lauren is also actively participating as a Peer Advisor to incoming students at Cal Lutheran and participates as a member of Delta Sigma Pi, a coed business fraternity where she is also the VP of Professional Activities.

Dario Hamada

Cal State Fullerton

Dario is currently enrolled at CSU Fullerton where is declared as a Finance major while also competing on the men’s golf team. This past summer, Dario was an intern for Northwestern Mutual. Dario volunteers his time with SCGA Junior, participating in the Golf-A-Thon, the Golf Olympics, and the Foundation Cup.

Jakeishya Le

UC Riverside

Jakeishya is soaring at UCR in both academics, studying Psychology, and in her collegiate golf career. She was nominated as the Female Big West Scholar Athlete of the Year this past season. She also is active with the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and the Mustard Seed Project Club. She has a passion for children, so if going professional does not pan out she hopes to work with kids in the developmental field within the golf realm.

Mallory Muehlbauer

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Mallory will be entering her senior year at Cal Poly SLO, majoring in Business Administration while competing on the golf team. She will be interning with PwC this summer and hopes to become a CPA after graduation. Aside from and academics, Mallory is active in the Women in Business Leadership Academy where she mentors three freshmen. She finished her last  quarter with a 4.0 and hopes to be an Academic All-American for the second year in a row.

Samantha Rocha

Occidental College, 2015 COPi Cup Scholar

Samantha keeps herself busy as she studies Cellular Biology, plays on the golf team, and holds leadership roles in two clubs on campus: Women and Youth Supporting Each Other and Minority Association of Pre-Medical Students. This past year she continued her research on epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease where she performed brain surgery on rats. Her name will be published in a biomedical research journal in the near future. She plans to work as a Research Assistant in a lab and continuing her studies to become a Nurse Anesthetist.

Ysabel Tran

San Jose State University

After transferring from CSUN, Ysabel is majoring in Forensic Science and is a part of the Women’s golf team. She is continuing her dreams of being in the medical field and splits her time from being on the course, studying, and volunteering at the hospital. When is back home she continues to volunteer her time with SCGA Junior by participating in the Foundation Cup and assisting with Play Days.

SCGA Junior Alumni