Student-athletes are everywhere, however, not everyone is able to achieve success and become professionals in the sport they love and practice. It’s amazing how far 11th-grade student Simon Correa has come when it comes to playing golf. Apart from Camilo Villegas, he has become probably the best golfer the school has seen and, it won’t be long before the world meets the next star.

Today, at age 17, Correa dreams of becoming the next big thing. He wants to be that guy who kids look up to and say, I want to be like him when I grow up.

Managing his time

Correa started playing from a very young age, which led up to him being as disciplined as he is. “I started playing when I was 4 years old, and I began this journey because I saw my sister playing and it seemed really fun,” Simon Correa, 11th-grade student-athlete said. Correa’s incredible dedication definitely comes from his sister, who became a role model for him since he remembers.

Correa manages a very busy and tight schedule which mixes training, schoolwork, and social life. “I train every day of the week, but take Monday as a day off. From Tuesday to Friday I train from 4:30 to 8 pm and on the weekends, I play the course of El Rodeo or Llanogrande. I usually spend all day on the weekends on the course trying to get the best of the little time I have,” Correa said.

However, when he’s not on the court, Correa divides his time between homework and friends in the best way he can. “When I am not in school or training I have to catch up with the lessons I missed, but I try to spend most of the time with my friends because there are just sometimes that I can’t go to places with them because of practice,” Correa said. He is also absent a lot from school, taking days off to train for the national team and even playing tournaments. “At times Simon does take time off of school because the national team has training sessions during school days. They are mostly outside of Medellin, and he must travel to wherever they are training. It’s hard not spending as much time with him, but we would do anything to watch him thrive,” Tatiana Figueroa, Correa’s mother, said.

Inside Correa’s Mind

Correa has a very straightforward plan. He wants to go to college and become a professional doing what he loves. “I’m planning on studying at the University of Arkansas. The plan is to study for 4 years and then become a professional golfer. I’m really not sure what I want to study, but I do know that I want to putt the ball into the hole for the rest of my life,” Correa said. He also mentioned a set of supporters and idols that push him a little closer to his dreamed future every day. “My biggest supporters have always been my family because they work really hard around my dream to help me accomplish it. I also have my team of coaches behind the process, who have always believed in me and keep me going forward. I also have a lot of idols like Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, but the main ones are Camilo Villegas and Nicolas Echavarria because they have shown me that even Colombians are still able to play competitive golf and demonstrate that we too are meant for big things,” Correa said.

Correa has always had a very competitive spirit. He feels like the competition nationally and internationally is very harsh. However, it keeps him going, one step closer to his dream. “Competition is what has kept Simon playing all this time. He talks about this feeling of adrenaline, which makes him competitive and drives him to be better every day. He also feels like he has to play his best to represent the country,” Figueroa said.

Accomplishments and future goals

Simon has had a very successful career so far. He’s won a number of tournaments to the point which he lost count. However, he still has the main goal to accomplish before he turns 21. “I don’t know the exact number but I have probably won from 80 to 90 titles since I started playing when I was 4. Still, my main goal for the future is winning a junior golf international tournament which I can only participate in before the age of 21,” Correa said.

He has won a lot of titles, however, Correa talks about how his career has boosted in an unbelievable way, in the past month. “The past month has been really amazing since I won two very important tournaments inside Colombia. It gave me a lot of recognition and a spot in the World Cup,” Correa said. His mother who claims to be his biggest supporter is very proud of the things his son has accomplished especially for a specific one, last year. “Simon came up 3rd in last years World Cup which is something that I’m very proud of,” Figueroa said.