KAYLEE CRUZ '21 Recruiting Profile

Jim Flick says, "90% of golf is mental, and the other 10% is mental, too." As a 7th grader, I signed up for a summer golf camp and fell in love with the sport. As with past endeavors, such as academics, swimming, and piano, I applied my signature tenacity and fortitude to "perfecting" my game. It became apparent that no matter how much a golfer improves, one will never master the game. Golf's life lessons played a pivotal role in my mindset, integrity, and grit.

The day after my first JV Golf tournament, the incredibly intimidating ex-football coach turned golf coach towered over me and bellowed, "Kaylee Cruz, grab your things, follow me." Timidly, I followed him to the counselors' office. My entire schedule was rearranged so that I could join the Varsity Golf Team. That was quite terrifying for this short, petite freshman trying to navigate her way through a new school full of thousands of "grown adult" students. My new teammates were juniors and seniors, who were leaps and bounds ahead of me with experience in golf, school and life. My first out-of-town tournament was jarring. I felt as if I was catapulted out of my "bubble" into the real world. Our first night in the hotel room, my teammates decided to vape, a foreign concept to me. Girls I considered mentors were holding a vape to my face begging me to try it. Positive I would not gain a single "cool" point, I declined. Days later, our coach asked the entire team to empty our backpacks for school administrators to search. We stood shoulder to shoulder while he asked each of us individually, with a piercing stare, "Have you ever vaped?" Girl after girl, all said yes.  After he asked me, I answered honestly, "No, sir." The value of integrity was reinforced. I live my life honestly. I am a good person, even when no one is watching. I am a compilation of my actions.

As I continued to adjust to high school life, a bombshell shook me to my core. My estranged biological father relentlessly pled to the courts to have me live with him. I was a well-adjusted teen with two wonderful parents, whom I adored, and three younger brothers who looked up to me. The life I knew and loved was about to be ripped away. I made my feelings known to the judge in her chambers. To my surprise, she said what I wanted was irrelevant because my biological father had rights. My heart sunk. I cried so hard, I could barely breathe. I am a resilient, emotionally strong person, who rarely cries. Naturally, I composed myself and accepted the uncontrollable. In golf, no matter how great or awful your shot, you play the ball as it lies. You make the best of your situation, which is precisely what I did. Although I dreaded the mandatory parental visits, I was respectful and positive. I thought about the countless children who didn't have a loving family or safe haven. Because of them, I made the best of my situation and played the ball as it lied.

My junior year at Reagan High in San Antonio started off as expected, challenging. I hunkered down, and committed myself to excellence. Three days before Christmas break, we sat down as a family. My mom broke some unexpected news. We were moving to Mission, Texas in the Rio Grande Valley, where she had accepted a job with a transplant hospital. Days later, she withdrew my brothers and me from school and registered us with the Sharyland School District. Moving from a culturally and economically diverse community to one at the other end of the spectrum was eye-opening. Again, the life lessons learned through golf were paramount. I remained optimistic with a positive mindset. I embraced new block schedules, made friends and bonded with new teammates. I appreciated my new teachers' different teaching methods. I played the ball as it lied and did it with integrity and fortitude.

I have not had the toughest upbringing, enjoyed my childhood and been fortunate to come from a happy, loving home. I have faced unforeseen challenges, but have viewed them as opportunities to mature and grow. Golf has played a pivotal role in my life, not because I learned how to play, but because of its invaluable life lessons that have molded me into a person I am proud to be.