Some of you may remember one of our junior scholars with a big dream.
Featured as an SCGA Hero in the Jul./Aug. 2012 issue of FORE magazine, we are thrilled to say Kenny Punyasavatsut is the same go-getter he’s always been, working diligently to achieve his dreams and regularly volunteering his time with SCGA Junior and the Tiger Woods Learning Lab.
Punyasavatsut has always aspired to become a nurse and help educate communities on how to live healthy and full lives. Today, Punyasavatsut is on his way to achieving a Masters degree in nursing at Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona. He has just three semesters left to reach pre-licensure status and a total of eight semesters until he reaches the completion of his Masters.
“My dream is to become a Family Nurse Practitioner,” says Punyasavatsut. “I would like to work with families to develop and plan a healthy lifestyle as part of their daily routine.”
What Punyasavatsut is most attached to is helping those in underserved communities, a goal we know his compassion and drive will lead him to accomplish.
“I’ve always lived the words of the late Earl Woods, ‘I challenge you to make a difference in the world, to reach higher and farther than you have ever imagined’” said Punyasavatsut, giving a glimpse of the thoughtful and humble man our junior scholar has become.
Punyasavatsut believes getting involved with golf was a pivotal point, something that taught him both important skills and character traits while helping him make life-long connections with new people, starting with his coach and mentor Roman Gonzales.
“Roman became my role model when I first met him 11 years ago,” said Punyasavatsut. “Seeing his passion for teaching grade school students the game of golf allows me to use that same passion to take care of my patients.”
Gonzales first introduced Punyasavatsut to SCGA Junior nine years ago, at the age of 16, after he became a student at the TGR Learning Lab in Anaheim. He immediately became one of our most involved juniors, fully committed to the SCGA Junior mission and taking advantage of programing such as Play Days and Golf Clinics.
“These special events allowed me to touch base with future employers and make lifelong friends,” explained Punyasavatsut. “It then expanded to more volunteer opportunities and afforded me a scholarship.”
Punyasavatsut was an obvious fit for the scholar program.
He was committed to his junior golf career and to achieving an education that would allow him to serve his community but above all, he valued the involvement and support we hope to give scholars throughout their college experience.
“The SCGA Junior staff was always there for me during my undergraduate studies at UC Irvine, to offer any advice or help I needed,” said Punyasavatsut. “There were times when I wanted to give up because of academic struggles, but they always believed in me. The ongoing support motivated me!”
We could not be more pleased with the dedication and hard-work Punyasavatsut has put into his education and we cannot wait to see this awesome scholar accomplish his Masters degree! Being the grateful person Kenny is, he wanted to end with a personal note.
A special thank you from Kenny:
I want to take this time to thank SCGA Junior and its donors for their support. Your generosity has allowed me to focus on my studies without having to worry about college tuition. You have inspired me to not give up on my dreams of becoming a Registered Nurse and to give back to my community. Achieving this is the only way that I can thank all of you!