SACRAMENTO, Calif. – St. Francis freshman Patricia Sweeney was named one of 10 Succeeding Together finalists and has a chance earn a $1000 prize for the First Tee of Greater Sacramento and a chance to play in the pro-am of the Wells Fargo Championship.

“I am excited about,” said Sweeney. “When I applied, I wrote the essays and was not expecting too much since I am a freshman and a lot of the entrants were older.”

Sweeney’s essays were chosen from over 100 applications from over 40 different chapters of The First Tee. Help her earn the $1000 prize for the Sacramento Chapter by sharing her entry on Twitter and Facebook via the website.

“By sharing via Facebook or Twitter, they are not supporting me but The First Tee of Greater Sacramento,” said Sweeney. “They have helped so many kids over the years.”

She is under consideration for the Grand Prize and a chance to go to the Wells Fargo Championship and possibly play in the pro-am.

Help St. Francis freshman Patricia Sweeney earn $1000 prize from Wells Fargo for the First Tee of Greater Sacramento by sharing her essays in the Succeeding Together essay contest on Facebook or twitter via the website. http://succeedingtogether.org/contest#

Be sure to check back on April 15th when the Grand Prize and First Prize winners are announced. 

Question #1: Why is working with a “Go-To Team” important? Working with a “Go-To Team” is important because it gives you moral support which can help you make decisions or fix a problem. For example, having a family who is willing to support your decisions, especially in the game of golf, which allows you to reach great heights. They are your moral support who will always help you when you have a problem. At the same time having a team of doctors or coaches is equally, if not more important. This team of experts can help you remain healthy and strengthen your game. Working with a “Go-To Team” is important, because it also allows us to share some responsibility with other people. Allowing others to help us, increases our chance of success. Working with successful people can help us to become successful as well. We cannot be self-dependent beings, relationships are important for our health and well-being. Having a supportive “Go-To Team” to fall back on when something goes wrong gives us a much larger probability of getting back up on our feet and working towards success.

Question #2: What specific goal(s) have you achieved by working together with a “Go-To Team”? Through my “Go-To Team” I have rebounded from both a broken arm and an injured knee. My “Go-To Team” consisted of my parents, coach and doctor. When I broke my arm, my doctor was able to give me advice to aid on a quick rehabilitation. My coach was supportive despite my injury. He continued to work with me on my game in spite of wearing a cast. After I got my cast off, he helped me to get back on my feet and improve my golf game. My parents were perhaps the most important part of my team, mentally supporting me while I couldn’t play golf. During my knee injury, which took place over a long period of time, this “Go-To Team” was by my side once again. They were supportive and assisted me to get back to the game I love: golf. With the help of my “Go-To Team” I achieved the goal to improve my golf game after my injuries subsided. Without them I would have struggled with rehabilitation.

Question #3: Tell us about someone who you have worked closely with that helped you achieve a goal. What made them great to work with? The most significant person I have ever worked with to achieve a goal would probably be my middle school English teacher. While I was writing my application to my current high school, Saint Francis, she helped me to perfect my essay. She is the person who has taught me how to write, starting from the sixth grade. It was rare that I would write a paper and submit it without her looking over it first. However, for my high school entrance paper, she could not have prepared me better. She would walk me through each part of my essay, and help me to determine where I had made my mistakes. I t was important for me to get into the high school, which my older sister attended. I also knew how important attending the high school was for my parents. So, I turned to her to write a perfect essay which would not be turned town. With her help, I was successful and got into that high school. I was proud of myself for being accepted into Saint Francis High School. I was also proud for having spent so many lunches on my essay. – See more at: http://succeedingtogether.org/contest#sthash.jVuoFuly.dpuf