TWF welcomes five students from the Czech Republic

This summer, through the sponsorship of the Drab Foundation, the Tiger Woods Foundation was able to host five students from the Czech Republic to participate in a two-week program focused on the U.S. college and university systems. Hailing from the city of Prague, these high school students not only had the opportunity to participate in cultural excursions, college visits and workshops to gain an understanding of the U.S. college admissions process, but they were able to partake in the High School Summer Academy where they experienced hands-on STEM workshops at the Tiger Woods Learning Center.

Their first week was spent on a deep dive of our colleges and universities. They visited schools such as Cypress College (a two-year community college), Pomona College (a small, four-year liberal arts college) and the University of California, Irvine (a large, four-year public university), where they were also spending their nights in the dormitories. In conjunction with these tours, students were able to spend time at the Tiger Woods Learning Center in Anaheim, California, attending college access workshops specifically designed for this group. They gained a thorough understanding of holistic admissions, the financial aid process, and were able to create their own college list. 

As this was their first time in Southern California, we also planned a myriad of cultural excursions for the students. Their first night out was spent at Balboa Beach catching the perfect California sunset, playing arcade games and snacking on frozen bananas. Throughout the week the students were also able do some shopping at the Irvine Spectrum, have a night out bowling and grab dinner at In-N-Out. Lastly, our international students ended their first week with us with trips to Disneyland and the Griffith Observatory. 

Asked about her most memorable experience, Klara Kotabova gave praise to TWLC golf programs and their Smooth Swings workshop. 

“I loved Smooth Swings,” she said. “That was so much fun, especially with Mr. Suk teaching us some Korean during the putting competition.”

After settling in with a very busy first week, the international students transitioned over to our High School Summer Academy. This is a one-week overnight camp for high school students who have completed their freshman, sophomore or junior years. Through this experience, the international group had the chance to interact with students from Washington, D.C., New York, Pennsylvania, Hawaii, Georgia and Florida. They spent their days at the Tiger Woods Learning Center fully engaging in our truly one-of-a-kind STEM program. The academy also teaches high school students about STEM-related careers and essential links between goal-setting, developing skills and higher education. 

“I’ve always wanted to work in STEM, but getting to know specific real-world careers was so helpful.” said Pavel Havlin, who was enrolled in TETRIX Robotics, when asked if this Summer Academy affected what he wanted do for a career. “I’m definitely considering working in robotic engineering or computer engineering.”  

Champions of the unexpected for 20 years.