Sa`mya Wilson, Class of 2020
BY AAGD STAFF
APRIL 30, 2020
Sa’mya Wilson is counting her blessings ($25,000 of them) as one of 19 Students awarded college tuition support this year by Youth On Course. The 18-year-old, Oakland, Calif., resident attends Holy Names High School and is one of only three African Americans who obtained the scholarship. The funds will come in handy for her needs at Smith College in Northhampton, Massachusetts, where she plans to attend in the Fall.
“I am currently undecided in my major, as Smith is a liberal arts college, and I will not declare a major until my sophomore year. I will use my award to pay off college loans, tuition costs, and the cost of a laptop,” she says, with a high school GPA at 3.78 unweighted and 4.02 weighted.
Sa`mya Wilson
Sa’mya has been playing on the high school golf team for about four years. Yet, when she first started playing she says, “I thought that golf would be easy. As I continued to play, I found out that it is indeed a mental game. I have had many “breakthrough” moments in golf where I learned how to advance my skills.”
An individual who enjoys the outdoors, Sa’mya says, “I feel as if I’ve had a long journey with golf. My most significant win is not one against any other golfer, but the many ‘wins’ against myself, by improving my personal best and doing better than I did in my previous game.”
Sa`mya Wilson
Since the inception of the scholarship program in 2008, 260 Youth on Course members have been awarded with scholarships totaling close to $2 million in financial support. The current scholarship retention rate is ninety-three percent. The 2020 recipients include seven first-generation college students and will be attending the country’s most prestigious universities including the University of Chicago, Columbia University, University of Michigan, UCLA and Wake Forest University, among others. The average GPA of this year’s winners is 4.06.
2020 Youth on Course Scholarship Recipients (in alphabetical order)
Benjamin Ainley-Zoll (Sacramento, Calif.), Royal Holloway, University of London
Intended Major: Cyber security
Angelica Antonio (Benicia, Calif.), Dominican University
Intended Major: Physical Therapy
Alex Cheriel (San Marcos, Calif.), University of Chicago
Intended Major: Mathematics/Statistics
Kailea Fogleman (Oakdale, Calif.), University of Nevada Reno
Intended Major: Biology
Rosalinda Frick (Etna, Calif.), Chico State University
Intended Major: Political Science
Taylor Gonsalez (West St. Paul, Minn.), Columbia University
Intended Major: Finance
Hannah Lee (Vacaville, Calif.), UC Davis
Intended Major: Bio-Medical Engineering
Kenneth Maldonado (Overland Park, Kan.), Kansas State University
Intended Major: Biomedical Engineering
Allison McInnis (Kennesaw, Ga.), Wake Forest University
Intended Major: International Economics
Nathanael Mertz (Albuquerque, N.M.), Wake Forest University
Intended Major: Pre-Med & History
Josseline Garcia Morales (Fresno, Calif.), The Masters University
Intended Major: Biology
Kierra Oyler (Spanish Fork, Utah), Brigham Young University
Intended Major: Applied Mathematics
Jalyn Robinson (Vacaville, Calif.), Prairie View A&M University
Intended Major: Bio-Medical Engineering
David Santos (Chicago, Ill.), University of Dayton or University of Illinois
Intended Major: Engineering
Edward Shen (Ann Arbor, Mich.), University of Michigan
Intended Major: Economics
Quincy Spitzer (Victor, Idaho), UCLA
Intended Major: Mechanical Engineering
John (Jack) Traxler (Saint Paul, Minn.), University of Wisconsin-Madison
Intended Major: Science and Math
Sa’mya Wilson (Oakland, Calif.), Smith College
Intended Major: Undecided
Isaac Yang (Carmichael, Calif.), University of California Santa Barbara
Intended Major: Applied Mathematics
“We know how challenging the financial burden is for students pursuing higher education. Every year, our scholarships are sought out by more than 1,000 Youth on Course members who are intelligent, talented and want to continue pursuing their dreams in college, but they’re worried about the cost,” says Michael Lowe, Vice President of Programs for Youth on Course. “We, along with our scholarship donors, take pride in doing what we can to help alleviate the burden for these outstanding students and their families. The 2020 class of Youth on Course Scholars is made up of some of the brightest and most caring students in the country. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish in the future.”
Born out of the Northern California Golf Association in 2006, Youth on Course subsidizes greens fees to remove cost as a barrier to entry for potential lifetime golfers. Operating in 37 states and Canada, more than 71,000 members have played close to one million rounds of golf while the organization has helped generate over $6.8 million in tee-time revenue back to individual golf courses. In addition to subsidizing youth golf rounds, Youth on Course also facilitates college scholarships, paid internships and a caddie program.
More information: 831.625.4653.
About Youth on Course
The core purpose of Youth on Course is to provide youth with access to life-changing opportunities through golf. Members play thousands of courses for $5 or less, benefit from employment through the caddie and internship program, and receive college scholarships. Headquartered in Pebble Beach, Youth on Course is a 501(c)3 organization that began as the charitable arm of the Northern California Golf Association. Since 2006, close to one million rounds have been played by Youth on Course members and nearly $2 million has been raised for college scholarships. In the United States, Youth on Course serves Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin with the goal of delivering affordable golf in all 50 states by 2021. To learn more about the organization visit YouthOnCourse.org
