Taryn Yee, a former The First Tee of Greater Sacramento participant and current freshman at the University of California, Irvine, Paul Merage School of Business, recently attended the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Executive Forum in Florida. The conference was held May 12th – 15th. According to Yee, during the forum she had the “opportunity to learn about one of the most prestigious accounting firms in the world and meet and interact with PwC’s partners and executive staff.” Taryn was also invited to speak during Friday’s formal dinner on how The First Tee has impacted her life and how she plans on using the Life Skills in college and in the pursuit of her career. PwC is a major sponsor of THE PLAYERS Championship golf tournament, and Taryn had the opportunity to attend this tournament during her trip too.
“Wow what an experience!!! The PricewaterhouseCoopers Executive Forum was a once in a lifetime opportunity to gain insight into corporate America, meet partners and clients of PwC, and watch the PLAYers Championship. Some highlights include having breakfast with George W. Bush, attending the PwC Executive Forum with a panel of CEOs from PwC, Sherwin-Williams, UPS, and Northern Trust, listening to Tim Clark at Saturday evening’s dinner, taking a behind the scenes tour of the tournament, and watching the PLAYers Championship from the best seats in the house from the Proud Partners Chalets on holes 9, 15, 17 and 18. The greatest honor of all was speaking about how The First Tee has impacted my life at Friday evenings dinner. It took a lot of confidence to stand in front of a crowd of 400 people. I was proud to reflect on my accomplishments, and I was happy to hear how many people I touched in the audience. The PwC Executive Forum was a special and memorable experience that gave me amazing networking opportunities and inspired me to pursue a career in business and accounting.” ~Taryn Yee
For the seventh year, PwC, Proud Partner of THE PLAYERS and Trustee of The First Tee, afforded The First Tee Scholars Class of 2010 an experience they will never forget. The four rising sophomores in college, all majoring in business, finance, or economics related fields, arrived in Florida on Thursday, May 12th to find themselves thoroughly immersed in the world of CEOs, CFOs and CPAs.
The partners of PwC were gracious hosts for four days of hospitality and events for the Scholars and, more importantly, for their most influential clients. The events included:
- welcome reception
- breakfast with George W. Bush (and in-person photo-op),
- formal dinner at TPC Clubhouse
- Executive Business Forum
The Scholars spent their time at THE PLAYERS in PwC hospitality suites on the famed 17th island green and the 18th green. They used this time to engage with clients and partners, discussing various business topics. On Saturday, they attended dinner with PGA TOUR players Tim Clark (2010 THE PLAYERS champion) and Luke Donald along with Dan Hicks of NBC Sports.
Jay Henderson, Partner and Vice Chairman Client Service for PwC, paired each Scholar with one of the top three accounting firm’s partners who took on the role of “mentor” during the Scholars’ time in Florida. The Scholars met and then shadowed their respective partners Thursday through Sunday, including an assigned seat at their hosted table during Friday’s dinner. That night, Taryn Yee of The First Tee of Greater Sacramento and University of California – Irvine delivered a speech that was eloquent, well-received, and even earned her some laughs. She credited and thanked The First Tee for teaching her valuable life skills and the Nine Core Values, especially perseverance.
PwC has been hosting The First Tee Scholars at THE PLAYERS since 2004. The firm’s partners and clients continue to be amazed at the maturity, intellectuality and insightfulness of the Scholars. On the other hand, the Scholars continue to be amazed at the realities of corporate life, and the benefits of remaining active with The First Tee through college and beyond.
Next year at the 2012 PLAYERS, members of the Scholars Class of 2011 will be invited to this very special event. It promises to provide many of the same eye-opening experiences for the young people as it has in the past, while reinforcing the reasons PwC continues to be a dynamic, engaged and impact-driven Trustee of The First Tee.
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