Sophie Rediscovers Her Confidence and Embarks on her NCAA Student Athlete Journey
At the ACA Taipei office on November 11, 2022, Sophie Lee officially signed with the Purdue University Northwest women’s golf team. Obtaining this scholarship was a long journey and relieved the worries of both her parents and ACA advisors.
Sophie joined ACA during her freshman year of high school. At this time, she was performing exceptionally well and multiple universities offered scholarship contracts to her. Typically, parents might assume that having a verbal commitment to a school is a guarantee of admission. However, until a formal contract is signed with the school, everything remains subject to change due to various factors, as Sophie’s case demonstrates.
Sophie achieved great early success in amateur youth golf competitions, including winning the championship at the TLPGA (Taiwan Ladies Professional Golf Association) Heritage Tournament during her sophomore summer, attracting the attention of many college coaches. After attending multiple online interviews arranged by ACA consultants, Sophie and her parents made a verbal commitment to the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) after receiving an official offer.
However, this commitment was canceled due to the early retirement of the team coach. This abrupt change in plans affected Sophie’s mood and her academic and athletic performance fluctuated as a result. This led to Sophie and her family seriously considering not going to the U.S. to play golf anymore. After ACA consultants were informed of the situation, they spent time thoroughly counseling Sophie psychologically and encouraging her to persevere. They also continued to send Sophie’s player profile to various college coaches, arranging interviews to build her confidence and motivation.
During a summer camp in her sophomore year, ACA’s CEO Jim took the opportunity to personally invite the coach of Purdue University Northwest to San Diego to watch Sophie play, who watched her perform on the spot and was impressed by her skills. Two months later, Sophie was able to be officially recruited by Purdue NW. After online interviews with the team coach, she began seriously considering the school as her future home. However, just as with the UTEP coach, the Purdue NW coach left the program, causing uncertainty about the contract.
ACA consultants moved quickly to contact the new coaching staff at Purdue NW for Sophie and arranged another online interview. This allowed Sophie to fight for another recruitment opportunity and she did not back down, leaving a good impression on the new coach. With the additional help from ACA consultants who provided assessments of Sophie’s athletic and academic achievements, after meeting the admission standards, the new coaches offered a recruitment contract and a substantial scholarship.
In the summer of 2023, Sophie arrived at Purdue University Northwest to join the team. For someone who had been learning English since childhood, everyday communication in a new environment posed no problem for her, quickly bonding with her teammates. ACA is excited for Sophie’s journey in the NCAA and have high expectations for her to continue to improve and carve out her own path!
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