It is never too early to think about your future.
Sera Tadokoro of Osaka, Japan, certainly knows the truth in this which is precisely why, even with three high school years remaining, she has made a verbal commitment to play golf at the University of Central Florida (UCF).
Over the past two years, Tadokoro has trained intensely at the International Junior Golf Academy (IJGA) while working equally as hard in the classroom at Heritage Academy. Her concerted efforts on the course and in the classroom have led to her “dream come true”: the chance to play collegiate golf.
On Friday, July 18, 2014, with a camera ready and rolling, Tadokoro’s coach, Alex Puchales and Athletic Director, Academics and Compliance, Ann Maness, revealed the news of UCF’s interest to her. She immediately phoned home to Japan to share the news with her parents. Emotions ran high as she celebrated the opportunity with her parents and made the agreement that this was the right decision for her. Upon her decision, Tadokoro eagerly reached out to UCF to declare her verbal commitment.
At the IJGA, Puchales and Tadokoro work to formulate specific goals focused on ways to improve her game in effort to make her the most well-rounded and talented player possible.
In addition to regular training, Tadokoro takes advantage the various resources available to her as an IJGA student in pursuit of her dream to play at the next level. Tadokoro increased her tournament experience by playing in 19 IJGT events, nine of which she placed in the top three in addition to numerous other outside tournaments. Further, she took advantage of recruiting events like College Golf Camps – the first ever multi-college camp combined with a tournament that helped her gain exposure to college coaches, including her soon-to-be-coaches at UCF. By taking all the right measures and adding in hours of hard work, Tadokoro is reaching her goals.
With three years remaining before she makes her trip south to join her fellow Knights, Tadokoro plans to continue to work hard to improve both her golf game as well as her academics. She will continue with English as a Second Language(ESL) classes, study for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and prepare for things like the SATs and ACTs before she graduates in 2017. She also aims to qualify for the Women’s Open next year.
At the IJGA, we value the commitment, dedication and resiliency demonstrated by juniors like Tadokoro and with each year, we are lucky enough to celebrate as students’ dreams become reality.
Congratulations to Sera, Coach Puchales and her entire support system as she embarks on her journey into college golf!
