
Hobbies and interests
Advertising
Animals
Archery
Art
Athletic Training
Beach
Weightlifting
Golf
Girl Scouts
Bible Study
Camping
Jewelry Making
Iyana Smith
1,315
Bold Points1x
Finalist1x
Winner
Iyana Smith
1,315
Bold Points1x
Finalist1x
WinnerBio
I’m an older sister, an athlete, a volunteer, and a leader. Sports have always been a huge part of my life. Coming from a family of athletes, I grew up dreaming of being a cheerleader. By high school, I had my heart set on volleyball, but when I didn’t make the team, I took a chance on golf, joining my grandpa’s team. I had no idea then how much it would change me. After my first match, I was hooked—I wanted to master this sport and, more importantly, help bring more diversity to it. Inspired by trailblazers like Ann Gregory, Cheyenne Woods, and Renee Powell, I set out to prove that I could achieve anything I put my mind to.
I never expected golf to open so many doors. I pushed myself, and within my first year, I shaved ten strokes off my score. Golf has challenged me in ways I never imagined—it’s not just about skill but mental toughness, patience, and self-discipline. The competition fuels me, and my journey is only just beginning. I can’t wait to see where it takes me.
Volunteering is another passion of mine. Whether it’s buying gifts for underprivileged families or making cards for the elderly, I love seeing people smile. Small acts of kindness can make a world of difference. If I can be a reminder that kindness still exists, then I know I’m doing something right.
My biggest motivation is my siblings. I want to show them that no dream is too big and that they have the power to create change. If I can inspire them to chase their goals and believe in themselves, then everything I do is worth it.
Education
Cox Mill High School
High SchoolMiscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Bachelor's degree program
Majors of interest:
- Business Administration, Management and Operations
Career
Dream career field:
Business Administration
Dream career goals:
Sports
Golf
Varsity2021 – 20243 years
Public services
Volunteering
Ruby's Kids — Helping find and wrap toys and necessities for families in2016 – PresentVolunteering
To Serve with Love Ministries — Helping distribute Thanksgiving meals and buy toys and necessities to underprivileged families2015 – Present
Hulede Collegiate Golf Scholarship
An extracurricular activity I participate in outside of golf is Girl Scouts, an organization dedicated to making the world a better place. Girl Scouts empowers young women to become leaders and change makers in their communities. Through my involvement, I’ve learned the value of friendship, volunteer work, networking, and life skills that I know will help me succeed in both college and life. For example, I’ve participated in service projects, led community initiatives, and built strong bonds with peers—all of which have strengthened my leadership and communication skills.
My intended major in college is Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing.I aspire to one day create a brand or program that empowers minority athletes in golf and other sports. I want them to know that they belong and they should go after anything, even if they don’t look like everyone else in the room. Success takes time, dedication, and discipline to achieve the outcome you want, and I want to build a business that embodies that. More importantly, I want to create a community and support system that provides a sense of purpose. My goal is to build a program that equips young athletes with the tools, resources, and mentorship they need to thrive, while also offering hands-on opportunities to learn life skills such as discipline, leadership, mental resilience, and collaborative networking—skills that open doors far beyond the field or course. Through this program, I want to mentor future athletes into a brighter future and give them the tools they need for success, no matter where they come from or who they are.
I want people to know that there will always be someone who understands, but I mainly want to give people a sense of purpose and a community. I hope to build a program that is focused on giving youth the tools, resources, and mentors that they need to be successful, while also being an outlet for them to get a hands-on way to learn valuable life skills such as discipline, leadership, mental growth and collaborative networking that creates other opportunities in life. Through this program,I want to mentor future athletes into a brighter future and give them the tools they need for success, no matter where they come from or who they are.
After I graduate high school, I plan to volunteer with a local Girl Scout troop near my college. I want to mentor younger girls, share my story, and show them the value of staying involved in scouts. I’ll tell them about the friendships I’ve made, the lessons I’ve learned, and the opportunities Girl Scouts has opened for me. I hope that by sharing my experiences, I can help other girls find their confidence and discover who they are.
After college, I plan to give back to my community by launching a program for athletes. This initiative will offer mentorship, life skills training, and community engagement opportunities. It will show young athletes that they can succeed regardless of their background, appearance, or resources—what matters most is their drive and support system. The mentor program would teach them the importance of working to better their community and remembering where they come from. I want to help them realize that greatness is within reach, and with the right guidance, they can achieve it.
Receiving the Hulede Collegiate Golf Scholarship would have a significant impact on my collegiate experience by easing the financial burden of tuition and allowing me to fully focus on both my academic and athletic goals. The financial support would relieve much of the stress that comes with student debt, enabling me to embrace the full experience of being a student-athlete.
It would give me the opportunity to grow both on the golf course and in the classroom without the constant pressure of financial strain. Ultimately, this scholarship would help me make the most of my college years and graduate with greater financial stability and peace of mind.
Tom LoCasale Developing Character Through Golf Scholarship
The biggest life lesson I have learned through golf is life isn’t perfect. I plan to utilize this lesson by living life to the fullest and being prepared rather than trying to plan for everything. For example, I qualified to play in regionals for my high school and I played a practice round taking notes on the layout, the best club choice, the best spots to hit a miss, how fast the greens were, I even made a little note to myself to have fun, relax, and take the round one shot at a time. Then, the day finally came to play regionals and qualify for states, I walked out there head held high, confidence through the roof, and a smile on my face ready to take on the day. Even though I played the course and knew the best club choice for each hole, life threw two obstacles in my way. The first obstacle was pulling a muscle behind my knee, so I had to stretch it out in between shots whenever I could, while also having to adjust my stance a little bit so not to make the injury worse, and the second obstacle that got thrown my way was one of the holes we ended up playing differently than the practice round so I took out my range finder and had to readjust club choices so that I could have the best possible outcome given my situation. With these obstacles thrown my way I had to get creative and tried to make the best of my circumstances. While I didn't qualify for states I came out of the round stronger than ever. Through things like this, I have learned that you can never really plan for anything; they’re all just educated guesses, you can learn new things about yourself, it's all about growth, and that sometimes all you need is a little creativity. You have to adapt to what's in front of you, rather than get caught up in your original plan because your gonna get thrown things you never thought you'd have to prepare for but through these unforeseen things being thrown your way you can learn, what you're capable of and how you can adapt to your situation or circumstance. Golf has shown me that even though I can go in with a strategy or script as to how events will play out, sometimes that’s not always how things are going to go, so you have to learn how to adapt to the change so you can find the best possible solution.
Harriett Russell Carr Memorial Scholarship
I exemplify a spirit of excellence in my everyday life through my discipline. You have to be disciplined in your time management, juggling school, work, athletics, and personal life, so through disciplining yourself you learn how to get the most out of your life and learn balance. Having discipline to better my life can I truly become better than my best. In life if you don't discipline yourself, then you'll never achieve your goals because nobody can force you into being great. You have to do it, it's easy to say it, but it's another to actually do it. Without the discipline and motivation to be great can you truly achieve your dreams. This was something that was hard for me to learn, but once I did I have a new found sense of purpose. Through this new found sense of purpose I have been able to give back to my community through Ruby’s kids, To Serve with Love, Girl Scouts, and even golf. Ruby’s kids is my families non–profit that was started to honor my grandmother’s memory and has become a huge factor in my life because being able to make someone else happy during Christmas brings me joy, I have been a part of Ruby’s kids since 2016, I love giving presents and just helping make a difference in someone's Christmas. To Serve with Love is similar to Ruby’s Kids. It's a non–profit run by a family friend and we help them give meals during Thanksgiving and presents during Christmas and so many other things to help those less fortunate. I have been in Girl Scouts since 2013 and it has been the best 13 years I have enjoyed every single minute of it, we learn about ongoing problems within our community and figure out solutions, Girl Scouts has given me a voice in order to speak what I believe and equipped me with skills to help better the lives of those in my community. One way golf has helped me give back to the community is I am always one step closer to making history from cutting 20 strokes off my game in 4 years to getting an internship at Pebble Beach, I am putting in the work and reaping the rewards for all my dedication to the sport, but it has also given me an opportunity to be that example for future minority golfers, that no matter when you start you can achieve anything you just have to be willing to put in the work.
Theresa Lord Future Leader Scholarship
I am a golfer at heart and after my first match,my freshman year, I dedicated myself to bettering the game by giving it more diversity. Proving to myself that I can do whatever I set my mind to. This showed me that I can be an inspiration and follow in the footsteps of other female golfers like Ann Gregory, Cheyenne Woods, and Renee Powell. Golf can open up new windows of opportunity that I didn't think were possible. You're going to have to put in a lot of work and dedication, but what sport doesn’t take work and dedication? Just like anything in life, you have to be committed and do your best. For example, I have been able to cut ten strokes within the first year of playing golf. This sport teaches you to push yourself physically, build your mental strength and capture the true essence of the inner competition that an athlete goes through. This is what I had been searching for and my journey is just getting started. My goals for my education are to go to college and earn my bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. I plan to one day create my business brand that encourages minority athletes while also teaching them that they can be a voice for change and hope, they just have to take that step. Once I grow my business, I want to start a program that gives minorities the tools they need to be successful, from coaches to help them get started to hands-on activities to teach them about community and giving back. An obstacle in my life is adversity, what I’ve learned through adversity is without it we wouldn’t be able to achieve greatness or be given some of the opportunities we have in life. For example, I am a minority golfer, and there aren’t very many minority golfers, especially in high school. Being one of about a handful of minority golfers, I have learned that even though I haven’t been playing long and I am a black golfer doesn’t mean I don’t deserve to play just as much as the next person. I’ve learned to stop caring about things like that and just have fun. I might get looked at because I’m a black golfer, might as well give them something to talk about too. Through this adversity, I have met so many people and had so many great opportunities, like being able to make history as a female minority golfer and making waves within high school golf itself just by having dedication and my grandpa as my coach and mentor.
Lucent Scholarship
The inspiration for my interest in business management is my involvement in the community between being in Girl Scouts and being a minority athlete. I want to do a business that shows other minority athletes that they can do whatever they set their minds to and that the color of their skin doesn’t define their potential; it defines their potential. Something that will always stick with me and that solidified my interest in business management is when my family did a fundraiser in hopes of raising money for my golf tournaments and my sister's trip to Washington D.C., that was when I saw what I could do with the right support and I saw some of the impacts it created because after we raised the money I went to my grandparent's community watch meeting and got a chance to thank everyone for their support and tell them a little bit about my journey, but also get to know them personally and that's when I saw the impact I made within a community I didn’t even know I had, and if I can do that only being in high school imagine all the possibilities if I had the right resources. I could build a non–profit program dedicated to helping underprivileged athletes so that they could have a hands-on outlet so that their parents don’t need to worry so much about having the money to get gear or the best coach because I can give them the gear and get coaches that will help the athlete get started. Once they're ready, I can find coaches that would be willing to take the athlete even further because with the right coach, you can spark a flame in someone that can only get bigger and brighter. Not only would I be able to build a program to help athletes, but I could also build a brand that can be the voice for the hope that minority athletes get more recognition than they get through wearing gear that says, "Hey, I’m here, and I’m just getting started". Through my degree in business management, I could help kids like me realize their true potential and even go pro and show the world their potential because through my story I hope to inspire the next generation of athletes like me to want to help better their sport and bring more awareness about minority athletes who can then bring in more minorities.
Billie Eilish Fan Scholarship
My top three Billie Eilish songs are What Was I Made For?, Male Fantasy, and BIRDS OF A FEATHER. These are my top three because I relate each of these songs to a specific time in my life, where I couldn’t really describe how I was feeling. I would have these songs on repeat; they helped me cope with my feelings and made me feel like someone understood me.
What Was I Made For? is on my list, not because of the Barbie movie, but because I’ve struggled with mental health, and our society makes women feel like they have to have everything figured out so early. But most of the time, we don’t have it all figured out and we don’t want to fit into society's perfect little box of what a woman should be. The song What Was I Made For? Is a true representation of a woman’s struggle figuring out who they are and who they want to be, as they navigate their life.
Male Fantasy is about unrealistic expectations put on women that can negatively affect them, but it's all part of the male's perspective on how it should be. She also goes into detail about breakups and how hard they can be, furthering her point that women are expected to be strong, and how men’s fantasies about the perfect woman can take a physical and mental toll on women.
BIRDS OF A FEATHER is a representation as to how much you can love someone. When I hear this song, I think about my little sister and my best friends, and how I would do anything for them. I will always have their backs, and I would never do anything to hurt them, so like a flock we stick together. “Can’t change the weather, might not be forever, but if it’s forever, it’s even better.”