Isabel Matos is a First Tee – North Florida alumna, whose father was born and raised in Puerto Rico before moving to North Florida. It was he who introduced Isabel to First Tee when she was 8 years old. She started in classes and since has interned with the chapter, spoke at events and helped to coach while home from school.
Isabel participated in five national opportunities with First Tee while in high school including the PURE Insurance Championship and Life Skills and Leadership (now Game Changers Academy). She said that her favorite memory from her time with First Tee was participating in PURE and playing at Pebble Beach with Vijay Singh as well as meeting participants from all over the First Tee network.
“I’ve made great friends within my chapter, but I’ve also made great friends all across the country from those national opportunities that I still talk to to this day,” said Isabel.
Isabel recently graduated from Southern Wesleyan University a year early with a degree in communications and media studies. She credits First Tee for helping her find her passion for communications and showing her that was what she wanted to do for her career.
“[First Tee] also taught me to step out of my comfort zone. When I started with First Tee, I was super shy, and I didn’t like talking to anyone and then a couple years later I was speaking in front of thousands of people for them,” she said.
“They made me realize what my goals in life are.”
At Southern Wesleyan, Isabel played golf for a year before suffering from an injury and fell in love with the area. She hopes to return to Greenville, South Carolina, to work in public relations. She said that living in South Carolina for school made her appreciate her Puerto Rican heritage as she was often the only Puerto Rican person around. Her family still visits Puerto Rico every year and she enjoys that it makes her different.
“I love that I am Puerto Rican…I think that it gives me a unique perspective on life,” said Isabel.
Isabel’s father, Idan Matos, is the chairman of the Board of Directors at First Tee – North Florida. He got involved with First Tee out of appreciation for everything they had done for Isabel. He joined the board to give back to the program.
National Caribbean American Heritage Month is celebrated in the United States every June. The intention is to celebrate the rich and diverse population that has been contributing to the well-being of American society since its founding.