TGR Foundation

When I began working at TGR Foundation 16 years ago, I was tasked with developing college-access and readiness programs. At the time, I knew we were setting out to help high schoolers and their families plan for higher education, but I truly didn’t know how deep and expansive our impact would run.   Earl Woods, Tiger’s father, passed in May 2006, and following his death came the birth of […]

TGR Foundation has had a lot to celebrate in 2021 including its 25-year anniversary, 2 million students reached through its education programs and a recent four-star rating from Charity Navigator, the highest distinction possible.

The leading charity evaluator in America, Charity Navigator assesses the fiscal health, accountability and transparency of 1.5 million charities across the nation. TGR Foundation is among the top organizations receiving the distinction nine consecutive years, an honor bestowed on the top 4% of American charities. 

TGR Foundation’s professional learning workshops have been a revelation. Prior to attending the workshops, I heard about many of the concepts I’ve now adopted including student-centered instruction and project-based learning. What makes TGR Foundation’s teacher training program unique is that you experience the pedagogy from the perspective of both the teacher and the student.

It began with my initial glimpse of the TGR Learning Lab. A futuristic and modern facility, the entry heralds the promise of an exciting, eye-opening experience. Soaring glass windows and an open-air feeling pervades the space. Appropriately located next to a golf course, the TGR Learning Lab, Tiger Woods’ ode to STEM education, is both inviting and inspirational.

I attended my first educator training workshop in 2017, and I was blown away.

As I look back on the 15 years since the TGR Learning Lab opened its doors to students and families in Anaheim, California, I am immensely proud of the hard work, growth and student success that has taken place. Thousands of underserved students have walked through our doors into a safe space that has given them opportunities they might not have had otherwise. The Learning Lab has helped students find their passion and pursue it, experience innovation and foster creativity all while being supported by caring adults to mentor and guide them on their journey.

I was born in a village in China and my only perception of the world used to be my village. It wasn’t until my parents decided to take a leap of faith and fly more than 1,500 miles to the United States so I could pursue the “American Dream” that my perception of the world expanded. Because my parents did not speak English, I had to navigate this foreign place on my own. I have been trying to pave my own path from the moment I landed in the United States, with both successes and failures.

I heard “you need to go to college to get a good job” my entire life. I was always told I needed to attend a school like UCLA or UC Berkeley because it was all my parents heard from other people. Though these school names became very familiar, I had absolutely no idea how to get there. Until my junior year of high school, I had no idea what the SAT, FAFSA, UC applications and even the Common Application was. As the first person in my family to apply for the FAFSA and fill out college applications, I was met with obstacles at every step. However, through a college-access program called College Match, I not only gained the tools and support to pursue higher education, I discovered the Earl Woods Scholar Program in the process.

After years of reaching young people across the country through education and youth development programs, Tiger Woods challenged his foundation “to make bold choices, explore unchartered territory and reach millions of kids around the world.” Now in its 25th anniversary year, TGR Foundation has met his challenge and celebrates two million students reached.

“An unprecedented year”

We’ve heard that phrase many times this year, and although it’s a reflective sentiment for the  pandemic, it’s also cause to acknowledge diversity, ensure equity and to seek inclusivity – individually and collectively.

TGR Foundation has learned a lot in 2020, and I am proud to share how we advanced our programmatic work in new and still impactful ways.

From a very young age I knew that I wanted to go to law school and become a lawyer. My father planted the seed in my mind of me becoming a lawyer at the prime age of nine years old. Throughout my childhood I was always eager to tell any and everybody that would listen that I was going to grow up and be a lawyer. I remember watching lawyers on television and envisioning my future life through the lens of those television characters. I became engrossed with law-related entertainment whether it was a television show, movie, documentary or book. What nine-year-old do you know who is obsessed with Law & Order? I was that nine-year-old.

Coming from a first-generation Mexican-American household, college was a pathway to upward social mobility and the American Dream. Even though it was highly encouraged, I never really knew how the college process worked. The only thing I knew was that I had to study hard, get involved and never give up – three core principles I truly believe have allowed me to be where I am today. 

I would be lying if I said my path to college was easy. It was challenging. As I connected with my friends, Gabriella Henry and Gustavo Aguilar from Katella High School, who also attend UC Berkeley, we noticed that there was a common trend in our community – a lack of resources and college assistance – and we felt that it needed to be addressed. We knew that we wanted to give back to our community and help students navigate the college process.

Every year we welcome a new cohort of Earl Woods Scholars into our fold – a group of dynamic, civic-minded and high-achieving students representing the best and brightest from their communities. This year was no different. While COVID-19 prevented the Class of 2024 scholars from coming together for our annual pre-college retreat, hosted at our flagship TGR Learning Lab in Anaheim, Ca., they’ve had ample opportunities to connect virtually with one another and our dedicated college-access team.

As we welcome our new cohort of 21 Earl Woods Scholars, we hear from them, in their own words, who they are and what motivates them.