By Amitra Brown
My experience as a Quaker Ridge fellow was amazing.
I worked for Mario Guerra, the head golf pro. He and his staff were very welcoming, as were the members. I learned a lot on the job and had fun doing it.
Momentum Wednesdays, our weekly sessions run by Nancy Degnan, the program supervisor, and Brittney Benjamin, the program coordinator, were the highlight of every week. The guest speakers we had on these Wednesdays were amazing, and their advice was life-changing.
The golf and tennis lessons were also really fun.
I learned about the dedication and teamwork needed to run the golf course. I helped to make sure everything ran smoothly both inside and outside the golf shop. Making sure the members were taken care of and helping my coworkers helped me develop new leadership skills.
I also enjoyed working on my non-profit organization idea for the Shark Tank competition. All of the ideas presented by my peers were awesome, and I’m proud of them for their hard work and dedication. It was rewarding to think of ideas for giving back to the community and improving the world. Brittney and Nancy made the presentations possible by giving us feedback and making sure we were ready.
I am really happy I got the opportunity to be in the program, and I am really grateful to everyone who helped me this summer. I would love to return next year.
Amitra is a rising senior at New Rochelle High School and worked with Head Golf Professional Mario Guerra.