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First Tee Junior Surprised with Scholarship at the PURE Insurance Championship

PURE Staff

September 22, 2023

Aditi Balakrishna was announced as the 2024 PURE Insurance Scholar at The Match. This team-style golf tournament takes place during the PURE Insurance Championship and benefits PURE Insurance Scholars and First Tee.

Aditi Balakrishna was surprised with the scholarship by PURE Chief Executive Officer, Martin Leitch.

Balakrishna holds a 3.97 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. She is a leader and a champion of making positive change in her community. Balakrishna serves as President of the Neurodiversity Club and Vice President of the Society of Women Engineers at her high school; she plays as a first chair violinist; and she volunteers at the Special Olympics, Camp Kindness and HappyArt, an organization she founded that writes letters and brings joy and connection to Bay Area seniors.

Balakrishna plans to combine her passion for mechanical engineering and golf to create sustainable golf products.
Read the press release announcing Balakrishna's scholarship

PURE Insurance Scholars was introduced in 2021 to further support First Tee and its College Scholarship Program, with the goal of providing financial assistance and mentorship opportunities for select First Tee juniors each year. Recipients are selected based on academic performance, length of involvement in First Tee programs, financial need and commitment to volunteerism.

I’m so proud to continue our involvement with, and support of, this incredible organization. It’s particularly gratifying to know that we can impact the remarkable young men and women of First Tee, like Aditi, in such a powerful way.
– Martin Leitch, Chief Executive Officer

The Match took place on The Hay, a short course with an exact replica of the famed No. 7 at Pebble Beach Golf Links. PGA TOUR Champions Mark O’Meara and Davis Love III served as team captains, and Team Love took home the trophy. The night ended with an art auction, featuring a piece by Lee Wybranski and signed by the pros to benefit PURE Insurance Scholars. PURE aims to raise $1 million for the scholarship program by 2025.

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    Team captain and PGA TOUR Champion Davis Love III
    Team captain and PGA TOUR Champion Davis Love III
    Team captain and PGA TOUR Champion Mark O'Meara
    Team captain and PGA TOUR Champion Mark O'Meara
    The Hay was redesigned by Tiger Woods in 2021.
    PURE Chief Marketing Officer, Katie Krum, with the art by Lee Wybranski that was auctioned off at the end of the night.

    Photo credit: Patrick Koenig

    Meet past years' PURE Insurance Scholars

    Isabelle Junio

    2023 Scholar

    Isabelle was announced as a PURE Insurance Scholar at the 2022 PURE Insurance Championship. She spent her high school years volunteering for the Agua Fria Fine Arts Festival and graduated with 4.58 GPA. She is a freshman at Arizona State University and is majoring in Computer Science with a minor in Geographic Information Systems. Isabelle dreams of designing spaces that benefit society and the environment.

    Jacob Zakaria

    2022 Scholar

    Jacob received the title of PURE Insurance Scholar at the 2021 PURE Insurance Championship. Jacob spent 12 years involved with First Tee and volunteered as a coach and mentor to younger participants. He graduated with a 4.69 GPA and is currently a sophomore studying Molecular and Cellular Biology at UC Berkeley, hoping to pursue a medical career, and spent the last summer working at a local urgent care.

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