Seems like everyone has a nickname such as Tiger, The Bear or even The Big Easy; I'm no exception nor do I have an exceptional name. Shorty is the nickname I was given and most people including the little kids call me Shorty; they tell me that as a kid I was always short for my age and then one day I just decided to grow and I'm still growing.
At 17 year old Junior on independent study in Modesto CA. I’ve been playing golf since I was five years old, and saying golf is my passion would be an understatement. Golf is literally my life. Whenever I have free time, I spend it at the golf course, whether it’s hitting balls on the range, working on my short game on the putting greens, or actually playing on the course. Born and raised in Modesto, CA, I can’t really remember a time when golf wasn’t in my life. My home courses are Dryden Park Golf Course and Creekside Golf Course, both located in Modesto. I have one sister who is two years older than me and just as determined to play golf and become the best as I am. Together, we push each other to our limits, competing against each other every time we go out. My sister’s name is Mbeneka Maithya, and as she’s all I have, I love her very much.
A former transfer student to CCHS, I maintained a 4.3 GPA, and contributed to the Raider community, doing my part to add to the school’s longstanding history of extremely intelligent, high-achieving students. I always give everything my all, and excelling at Central Catholic was no exception. Prior to CCHS, I attended Enochs High School, where I was enrolled in all Pre-AP classes and one AP class, as a freshman and maintained a 4.0 GPA, same as I’ve been since kindergarten.
I am a devout Catholic and a parishioner at St.Joseph’s Catholic Church in Modesto where I was confirmed a couple years past. However, Confirmation is only the most recent of the Sacraments that I have received; I was baptized when I was four years old presented by my wonderful Godparents, John and Francine English. I have four Godsisters, my Godparents children and my Godfamily plays a huge role in my life. They’ve been there to guide me both spiritually and ethically for as long as I can remember, and I couldn’t be more grateful. I sing in the choir at my church and do a lot of community service there, like participating in the Live Stations of the Cross on Good Friday. I take part in the annual West Coast Walk for Life every year in San Francisco.
I am signed up with the First Tee of the Central Valley and was elated to be our representative at last year’s Pure Choice Insurance Pro-am Tournament at Pebble Beach golf course where I was paired with Dave McKenzie, one of the Aussie's playing in the Champions Tour. At the First Tee of the Central valley, I’m a part of the Junior Council, and help teach some clinics. I also help teach at one of my swing coach’s clinics, Dana Arnold Ebster, located at Nor Cal Performance Golf Center in Modesto in the summer. My swing coach is Mr. Shane Balfour, the Executive Director of the JGANC and Head-Pro at St.Stanislaus Golf Course. My prior swing coach was Mr. Chris Mendes, the Head-Pro at Dryden Park, my home course. Mr. Joe Smith, the Head-Pro at both Swenson and Van Burskirk golf courses in Stockton, CA. was my first swing coach. Daniel Simpson, a former PGA Tour caddie with an abundance of inside the ropes knowledge and experience has agreed to caddie for me but more importantly has volunteered to share his priceless wisdom with me.
About my Game
I started playing tournament golf three years ago, with the Junior Golf Association of Northern California (JGANC). It was an entirely new experience. I remember the first three holes of my very first tournament, my hands and knees were shaking. It was a shotgun start, and I hooked my first shot out of bounds. Long story short, I shot an 80, tied for third, and won the card-off. The back nine had been considerably better than the first. I remember thinking that if I took third not even playing my best golf, I could win every tournament I played in. Although I soon realized that the tournament that I had played had been a smaller one, I never lost the desire to win every tournament I competed in. I’ve since bagged a few tournaments with outright wins culminating in my receiving the conference (MMC) MVP and 2016 Player of the Year Award.
My freshman year at Enochs High School, was the first year I’ve ever played on a team. If someone told me how good it would feel and how close I would get to my teammates, I would have thought they were lying. But now, having actually experienced the camaraderie and kinmanship of having people who I could count on, who I could be there for knowing they would also be there for me, I truly know better. This said amity made the transition to CCHS very amicable and once again my new teammates became my extended family, and everyone had a part to play. Leaving my Enochs Eagles teammates to join the Central Catholic Raider family was probably be one of the toughest challenges I had faced in my golf career, but the CCSH Raiders led by the School President Mr. Jim Pechenino and Head Coach Mr. Dave Quintal welcomed me into the fold and made me feel as if I was always there from the beginning.
I was a finalist at the 2017 Drive Chip and Putt hosted at the Olympic Club in San Francisco. I advanced through the preliminary stages held at Haggin Oaks Golf Links and was 2 drives away from advancing to this year’s Masters at Augusta Georgia; I bombed the drives long unfortunately only one stayed in the grid; 2 drives away from going to the Masters!! Oh well, perhaps I will play the real Masters rather than be a side show at the Masters!! One can dream right?
The videos below are not in any particular order nor have they been edited to enhance the swing. Some are longer than others so feel free to use the Youtube functions to optimize your viewing experience:
Spiritual Life
I pray to God daily that he may open my eyes so that I can see the opportunities to serve him and to strengthen my relationship with him that I may use my talents to evangelize and bring others closer to him. I fully intend to use my golfing prowess wherever they may get me to bring God’s pure word to those in doubt and despair so that they too may deepen their relationship with God.
At both the summer clinics with Nor Cal Performance Golf on McHenry Avenue and the 1st Tee of Central Valley, the little girls I worked with were very appreciative and absorbent of the experiences that I shared with them, but what gravitated them the most to me was not my golfing prowess, rather my enthusiastic involvement with the Church. I shared how I prayed and sang hymns silently in-between shots and how imperative it was to me to remain humble in the eyes of our Lord. I love golf, however, I love God more than anything else in the world, and I can only pray that one day I’ll make it to Heaven.
I’ve always been musically inclined, and from a young age was enrolled in the children’s choir at our parish. I enjoy singing hymns because it is a constant prayer. Both our children’s choir and the adult choir travel to sing at different churches, schools and last year at the Gallo Center for the arts. I believe in stewardship and evangelizing the pure word of our Lord and will make every effort to deepen my relationship with God including serenading others with our singing in the choir.
I must have read well over a thousand books before I made it to high school. I enjoy a good book as much as a movie or perhaps more. As a fast reader, I’m of the opinion that I should never put off until tomorrow the book I could read today. By 5th grade I had read the entire Catholic Bible, hands down, the greatest book ever written. So inspiring, so true, so unparalleled, truly the work of God. I knew then that my objective in life would be to serve God and be a role model. I knew then that I was to use my God given talents, to evangelize his holy word. I knew then that every day was not only a blessing but rather another opportunity to try again.
Why CCHS
Reading the entire Bible helped me to understand that some of the things that I had mistakenly thought were important turned out not to be and what I had thought unimportant turned out to be very important. This is true from the parable of the prodigal son; when my sister disobeyed and disrespected our father and family and ran away, my father welcomed her back home with open arms. The freedoms she sought, the riches she imagined and the glamour she hoped for out there on the street turned out to be a waste of time, talent and effort. I pray to God for her and that I may never choose so poorly. Bigger is not necessarily better. The gigantic size of the public school is deceivingly inefficient in delivering the fundamental basics of high school education in preparation for college and life’s challenges thereafter. The enormity of the public high schools dictates that rather than focus on educating the students, the bureaucracy is bent on pushing them through the system so that the graduating students are ill equipped to excel at the next level.
From my research and experience, I came to the conclusion that CCHS was the best school for me to advance my quest in life, both in academics and athletics. The strong Parochial foundation coupled with the faculty and staff dedication to helping the students gave one the satisfaction of knowing that they were in the best hands. Add to that the strong alumni and well wishers and benefactors as well as the storied history of achievements both in athletics as well as academics and one had to gravitate to the school and long to be a part of this winning team.
That said, whilst CCHS has a reputation of preparing its students for college and a history of placing its graduates at some of the most prestigious universities in the nation. I have opted for independent study so that I can dedicate more time to golf. At this year’s USGA Junior Girls tournament held at Poppy Hills Golf Course, I met some of the best junior golfers in the world, and one remarkable trait was evident amongst the majority; they were well prepared and ready for the challenge. I vowed to myself to not only dedicate more time to practice, but to practice with a purpose. I would be ready for the next tournament in 2019.
Community Service
As I mentioned above, I volunteer in our parish activities and also help with the First Tee Clinics and other clinics which are offered to introduce the little kids into the world of golf.
Independent Studies
The independent schooling avenue afforded me plenty an opportunity to practice and to ponder my future. A new swing coach, Shane Balfour, the executive director of the JGANC introduced me to new training and practice techniques, which emphasized on the short game with immediate impact. Whilst I had previously counted on my long game to carry me through the round, I now heavily relied on my short game to win tournaments, I was invited to the Tournament of Champions on account of being the overall winner at the Bryson Dechambeau tournament. I was on the right track and was loving every moment of it until a friend casually mentioned joining the marines.
The Marines
At 17 years of age I was eligible to join the military and possibly deploy. On paper this was very exciting, travel, adventure and camaraderie. A 97 score on the ASVAB qualified me for most of the jobs available and so when I chose aviation engineering, the only thing left for me was surviving boot-camp or so I thought. The fact that I had dropped everything that I had previously embraced for the military was not well received by my dad; nevertheless he respected my decision and never really pushed me to reconsider. I started physical training to prepare me for the IST, pull ups, pushups, sit ups, weight lifting, running and studying the marines’ knowledge code. When I was informed that I would not get a boot-camp date on account of my being on independent study, I switched gears and classes and graduated my senior year of high school in 6 weeks.
I was very determined to join the marines and there was no turning back, but I also liked the army very much; and then they announced the creation of the space force. Just before swearing in, another friend casually suggested that a better approach to the military was through college, the ROTC program or after graduating, I would join as an officer.
College Outlook
Whilst playing golf in the PAC 12, preferably Stanford or USC offers one a measured degree of achievement with the potential of competing and excelling at the highest collegiate level, the NCAA championships, I have my eyes set on the LPGA and I’m of the opinion that any Division 1 college with a strong program led by a dedicated and proven coach is well placed to prepare me to meet and exceed these expectations. Amongst other majors in college, I would like to explore theology and civil engineering, majors offered at most research universities.
I humbly and sincerely ask for your prayers to help me navigate this treacherous course of college selection and pray and hope that I land in a good institution. The key to a bright and successful future is embedded in a strong foundation; I strongly believe that the right choice will empower me with this prerequisite foundation.
Shorty 
