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At the Tiger Woods Foundation, we have the distinct honor of coming alongside incredibly bright and driven young people, and equipping them with the resources they need to achieve their definition of success. We call them our Unrelenting Champions. A fitting description because they tirelessly and relentlessly pursue their dreams, and achieve them. This month we feature two such champions and Earl Woods Scholar alumni, James & Alicia.

This Summer at the TGR Leaning Lab in Anaheim, educators from across Southern California participated in STEM Studio. These week-long workshops are all part of the TGR EDU: Create program presented by Kaiser Permanente that provides unique professional development programs in STEM and college access for educators.

This fall, the Tiger Woods Foundation will welcome 25 college freshmen to the Earl Woods Scholar Program. Each scholar will have the chance to connect with a dedicated mentor who will support and guide them through their college years.

Earl Woods Scholar and University of California, Irvine rising sophomore, Ruben Triscareno spent the summer interning with the Tiger Woods Foundation. Based at the TGR Learning Lab in Anaheim these past few months, Ruben joined the academic support staff, assisting in all aspects of our STEM and college access summer programs. Read on to learn some high points from his summer, including what he gained from his experience helping out during our High School Summer Academy.

The Earl Woods Scholar Program goes far beyond financial assistance—we build a lifelong support system for our kids. For over 10 years, we’ve strived to give our scholars, many of whom are the first in their family to attend college, the resources they need to succeed in school, their communities and around the world.

The Tiger Woods Foundation met Alesha Russey in March 2016 when she attended our first STEM Studio seminar in Washington, D.C. Since then, she has participated in a number of offerings and reached out to us regarding possibly offering a more intensive training for her school and others in the D.C. area. Likewise, she offered her school site to host and has been one of our biggest champions in informing educators of our work in professional development. She shares her takeaway of TGR EDU: Create’s STEM Studio.

Without a doubt, Shantanu Jakhete will take MIT by storm this fall. The recent high school graduate and former TGR Learning Lab Florida student has spent the last several years studying STEM and honing and sharing his skills. Everything he’s already accomplished in this short time tells us he’s in a league of his own. And the only thing that trumps Shantanu’s passion for STEM is his deep-seated desire to use his knowledge to help his community and the world. Read on to learn how Shantanu’s drive, with the support of teachers, mentors and the Tiger Woods Foundation, has fueled his love of STEM.

For two weeks this June, Betsy Peña, a program coordinator with the Tiger Woods Foundation’s Earl Woods Scholar Program, took part in her first College Bound Academy as an instructor to 42 rising high school seniors from the Anaheim Union High School District. Betsy, a recent college grad herself, had the opportunity to lead workshops, activities and discussions all geared towards helping her students better navigate the college admissions process. Rounding out the program, Betsy and her colleagues took their students on excursions at the Claremont Colleges as well as had them participate in Disneyland’s Youth Education Series (YES) Program. As she reflects, the College Bound Academy experience proved to be just as rewarding for Betsy as it was for her kids!