June 1, 2026 | Alumni Spotlight
Each year, we are pleased to present academic scholarships to First Tee – Greater Charleston alumni who are enrolled in post-secondary education programs. This year’s class of scholars features 4 graduating seniors and 8 returning alumni.
Tripp Bedell
Tripp recently graduated from West Ashley High School, where he played on the Boys Golf Team. He completed 7 seasons with our On-Course Program, and volunteered as a First Tee coach last year. Tripp will be joining us again this summer before kicking off his college career at USC.
Olivia Franklin
Olvia is a home school graduate who will be entering her freshman year of college fall 2026 after 10 seasons participating in our On-Course Program. She is closely considering a few universities, including the College of Charleston, and will make a final decision on what school to attend this summer.
Henry Plante
Henry just graduated from Academic Magnet High School. He’s been active in our On-Course Program since 2022, completing 9 seasons as a program participant and 5 seasons as a volunteer coach. He will attend Clemson University’s Honors College this fall where he plans to study Mechanical Engineering.
Jude Sword
Jude has been participating in our On-Course Program since 2015 (a total of 19 seasons). He just graduated from West Ashley High School, where he played on the Boys Golf Team, and he has committed to play golf for Spartanburg Methodist College.
Ben Cuff
Ben is a program alum, former First Tee intern, former volunteer coach, a returning scholar, and rising senior at Clemson University. He will complete a second internship with Meta this summer and expects to graduate in spring of 2027 with a degree in Computer Science.
Cate Cuff
Cate is a program alum, returning scholar, and a rising senior at Clemson University, where she is pursuing a Secondary Science Education major. She will be working for CCSD’s Kaleidoscope program this summer, and plans to return to Charleston to teach after completing her bachelor’s degree.
Otis Franklin
Otis is a program alum, returning scholar, and rising junior at the College of Charleston. He is majoring in African American Studies and plans to minor in Music as well as Computing in the Arts. Otis recently completed a social media/marketing internship with the African American Studies Department and hopes to secure an internship with the International African American Museum’s Sankofa Fellowship program this summer.
Jackie Freibert
Jackie is a program alum, former volunteer coach, returning scholar, and rising senior at Coastal Carolina University. She’s majoring in Business Administration and Hospitality Resort Tourism Management with a specialization in PGA Management. She completed an internship with First Tee last summer and is excited to intern at Grandfather Golf and Country Club in Lineville, NC this summer.
Alice Li
Alice is a program alum, former volunteer coach, returning scholar, and rising junior at Columbia University, where she’s majoring in Mechanical Engineering and a member of the Powertrain subteam of the Columbia Formula Racing Team. She just finished an exciting study abroad semester in Australia and is considering summer internship opportunities in Charleston.
Mackenzie Manning
Mackenzie is a program alum, returning scholar, and rising sophomore at Berry College, where she intends to double major in Dual Degree Engineering and Applied Physics. She holds three campus jobs—TA for introductory computer science, Research Assistant for the Experimental Physics Lab, and AI Research Assistant—and is a member of the Women’s Golf Team.
Joseph Terry
Joseph is a program alum, returning scholar, and rising sophomore at Auburn University. A Professional Flight major, he’s staying at Auburn this summer to complete the second phase of instrument training, which involves flying 5-day per week. Joseph has also been extremely active in Auburn’s intramural sports programs (co-ed soccer, co-ed flag football, men’s basketball, and men’s soccer).
Nathan Thomas
Nathan is a program alum, returning scholar, and rising senior at Clemson University’s Honors College. He’s majoring in Health Sciences and is currently applying to medical schools, where he hopes to pursue a specialty in pediatric hematology and oncology.
Post-secondary education scholarships are made possible by generous individuals and organizations like the Yeamans Hall Foundation, a benefactor of four First Tee scholars each year. Want to get involved? Email [email protected] to learn more about unique scholarship and fellowship opportunities.