Photo By David Willem

From Bogota, Colombia to Des Moines, Iowa. Maria Mantilla, a junior at Grand View, tells of her journey and dedication to play college golf in the United States.

“My dad played golf all of his life, well since he can remember. I remember when he gave me the tiny plastic golf clubs when I was probably about 3 years old. And then at the age of 4 I got my first set of real golf clubs. The funny thing is, I write left-handed, but I play golf right-handed. I remember my dad trying to teach me how to putt, and I would walk around the ball to try and understand how to putt right-handed. It felt awkward for me. I think it was really fun for my dad to watch me try and figure out the game for myself. I basically played golf my whole life, and when I was in 9th grade I started to apply to colleges.

“To start I sent a letter to all of the NAIA schools that had business and psychology majors as well as had a golf team. The letter said that I was interested in their majors and being part of the golf team. After that I got a lot of replies from schools saying they were interested. I then sent more letters to those schools of my score averages, videos of my golf swing, and I also came to the United States to play tournaments so coaches could watch me. This all started when I was in ninth or 10th grade. I went to some schools and talked to coaches. (Coach Chris Winkle) offered me full tuition, and that was all I needed to hear.
“The hardest part was leaving home. You know, I had been in the United States before, but I had never been to Iowa. I came to Grand View without even visiting the campus. To be honest I really didn’t have high expectations coming to Grand View.

“I remember my parents sitting outside of the freshman dorms looking at me like I cannot believe you are going to live here. They both started crying, and I told them I am going to be fine, and it has been fun since then. It was a three-year process to get here with a lot of ups and downs. Coming to Grand View seemed kind of risky at first, but I can say it has been awesome, great; I never expected to have such amazing people in my life because of Grand View. It’s hard being away from home because my mom, dad and my sisters are everything to me, but I came here for my dream, which was playing golf, and getting my degree in the United States, so I really don’t have much to complain about.”

Photos provided by Maria Mantilla