November 14th: IJGA student, Haruka Shintani has signed her national letter of intent to join the University of Hawaii women’s golf team next year.
Shintani came to IJGA from Japan in 2015 and has greatly improved not only in her golf game but academically. It can be challenging for an international student to make the move to a boarding school in the United States, but at IJGA, English as a second language is a key aspect of the curriculum which helps bridge the communication gap some international players face. The hard work that Shintani put in paid off and she now has the opportunity she dreamed of and gets to sign an early scholarship offer to play NCAA Division 1 golf.
“Haruka is the model of effort and application. She is extremely focused and hardworking and deserves her place on this prestigious team in the beautiful location of Hawaii. She will be a major asset to any team in my opinion and I look forward to watching her flourish” says Jonathan Yarwood, IJGA Director of Golf.
The University of Hawaii is a great fit for Shintani with good athletics and academics, as well as having a large Japanese population within in the state which may make her feel more at home.
