From playing golf for personal interest to landing a spot on the womens varsity team as a freshman, sophomore Dia Chopra has experienced a rollercoaster of a journey filled with emotion and life lessons.
Following the third day of tryouts her freshman year, Chopra recalled sitting alone in her bedroom as thoughts of self-doubt crept into her mind. However, that was just moments before she received the news that would change her life.
“Part of me was telling myself that I didn’t make the team, and the other part was like, ‘why are you thinking that? You don’t even know anything yet,’” Chopra said.
She mustered up the courage to read the email waiting for her and was left in a state of shock, followed shortly by a burst of excitement. Chopra remembers screaming in joy and calling her family and friends to tell them that she landed a spot on the varsity womens golf team.
Chopra asserts that her family deserves substantial credit for her success, as they have been her biggest supporters throughout her journey in golf over the past seven years. Her father has constantly challenged her to improve and has helped her become the best version of herself—not just as a golfer, but also as a person. Her mother and sister have always been there to encourage her by reassuring her that teams search for potential, not perfection. They remind her that putting in her best effort is what matters most.
“You can mess up, which is fine, but you should still show that you can move past it,” Chopra said, quoting her sister’s advice.
Chopra believes that golf has given her essential qualities like sociability, teamwork and confidence; all of which she uses outside the golf course as well. She highlighted how important it is to stay humble and to take incremental steps toward a goal, rather than placing too much emphasis on long-term accomplishments. Golf has also taught her is to improve her time management skills so that she can manage her hectic schedule better.
“No matter how busy I am, I make sure that I always have time for golf. I can’t leave it out of my schedule,” Chopra explained.
Finding time for golf is essential to Chopra. Golf has served as an outlet for herself and has led to a deep, personal connection with the sport, especially after first bonding over it with her father. Chopra would love to pursue golf in college but will continue to practice it for herself outside of school regardless. Whether or not she participates on a college team, her father always told her that golf teaches priceless life skills like networking that she should hold onto.
As Chopra has reflected and progressed in golf throughout the years, she knows that she was lucky to have such a supportive family and team that gave her advice when she needed it the most.
When she was asked what advice she would give to other students who are interested in trying new things in the future, she recounted her mother’s words: “If you’re going to commit to something, put 110% of your effort into it. If it doesn’t work out at least you know you tried your hardest.”
