TGR Learning Lab student Diego Ponce goes behind the scenes at The Genesis Invitational

Diego Ponce says he was born into a family of Los Angeles Dodgers fans.

The voice of the late Vin Scully, who spent 67 years doing play-by-play for the Dodgers, was a big part of Ponce’s childhood. So were the team’s Spanish-language announcers.

“That was just our family radio,” Diego says.

As he followed his favorite player Clayton Kershaw’s exploits on the mound, Diego also started learning about some of the Dodgers’ greats – players who made an impact on the storied franchise and the city of Los Angeles many years before the 16-year-old was born.

“I learned about Sandy Koufax, Jackie Robinson, Fernando Valenzuela, all these old school players that kind of gave the Dodgers the culture, the meaning of what they are today,” Diego says. “And it's just that historical side of it that for me, that's why now I'm a Dodgers fan.”

Oddly enough, Diego’s affinity for baseball helped put things in perspective last year when he got a once-in-a-lifetime chance to go behind the scenes at The Genesis Invitational on the PGA TOUR. Diego, who attends the TGR Learning Lab in Anaheim, California, and aspires to be a sports journalist, shadowed Kira K. Dixon of the Golf Channel as she reported from The Riviera Country Club.

Among the treats? Diego met Tony Finau and Rory McIlroy – although he’d be the first to tell you he hadn’t followed much golf up to that point. So, he wasn’t exactly as prepared as he would have liked to have been.

“When I met them, I was shocked in a good way. I was excited,” he says. “But when I met them, I'm not going to lie, I really didn't have any idea who they were. And then after I met them, they're like, do you know who you just met? I said, 'Yeah, Rory McIlroy. He just told me his name.'

“And they're like, no, you just met the Aaron Judge of golf. You just met the Mookie Betts of golf in Tony. So, it was just those things. I told them, you kind of have to put things in a baseball perspective. So, then I went out to the driving range and I saw some of the guys golfing, and somebody in the media told me, it's just watching batting practice.”

Diego says Dixon told him about covering charity pro-ams where some of his favorite MLB and NBA players test their skills on the golf course. Players like Manny Machado of the San Diego Padres and Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors are avid golfers during their downtime.

“So, it was just interesting kind of seeing different perspectives,” Diego says. “I got the experience from the golf world, but everything is pretty much applicable to any other sport.”

Diego has been to The Genesis Invitational before courtesy of the TGR Foundation, which was founded by Tiger Woods and his father Earl to create learning opportunities in underserved areas. The TGR Foundation is the beneficiary of this week’s PGA TOUR event, which has been moved to Torrey Pines in San Diego out of respect to the people affected by the recent wildfires.

The behind-the-scenes media tour at Riviera was different than Diego’s other visit because the work he’s done at the TGR Learning Lab has made his career path so clear. He was clearly in his element as he sat in on press conferences, interviewed Chase Johnson and learned from Dixon.

“It was amazing because not only did I get to shadow her and meet some of the players and all that, but it was personalized,” Diego says. “I could have met Kira, but with a bunch of other students, and it would've been a five-minute talk, but I got to spend the whole day with her walking around the course.

“She was telling me what she did, how she went about it, what it looks like, what it sounds like, because she has to be listening to her producers and everything. I just took advantage of everything. And in the moment, I didn't really know what was going on just because I was so excited. But on the bus ride back, it really sunk in and I was just like, wow, I just did that. I just met all these people …

“I just got all this information from a professional, and it was just, honestly, thinking back on it, I still can't believe it.”

Diego, who is homeschooled, has been going to the TGR Learning Lab for the last three years where he’s taken classes in photography, digital arts and multimedia studies. A six-week class in podcasting opened his eyes to different forms of broadcasting that he could combine with his love of sports.

“I knew that was the perfect kind of job for me,” Diego says.

Diego created three podcasts during the class, recording for 90 minutes on Mondays, editing on Wednesdays and eventually sharing them with friends and family members. He’s working on more and has plans to interview Mickey Hatcher, who played on two World Series championship teams, including the 1988 Dodgers.

Diego is a highly motivated student, already taking history and media studies classes at nearby Cerritos College. He also hopes to earn the California State Seal of Biliteracy which is given to high school graduates who are able to read, write and speak a language other than English.

The instructors and support staff at the TGR Learning Lab have been invaluable to Diego. In addition to the classes he’s taken, he gets help with applications for college and potential scholarships. Diego’s younger brother Sebastian, who’s 11, is taking advantage of what the TGR Learning Lab offers, as well.

“They really helped me find my passion and what I want to do in the future,” Diego says. “But it feels nice going there because I know a lot of the teachers. It's a very friendly environment. I'm friends with a lot of the students. So, I go in and I kind of have this team behind me, and not only do they want me to succeed, but they're helping me to succeed as well.”

The TGR Learning Lab also invited Diego to a panel discussion on public relations which led to another exciting opportunity. He met a stadium host for the Dodgers there who connected him with the team’s Spanish-language broadcasters. One of the announcers later invited Diego and his family to a game where they spent several innings in the booth.

“For me, it was amazing being there with the headphones, talking to the guys, seeing the game from the press box,” he says. “But it was more special for me too, when I turned around and I saw my family. They were just beaming with their headphones on. And it feels so nice because my family does so much for me, and I'm at the age where I can't do a whole lot for them but that moment, (I was) thinking, I made that connection.

“My dad has always taught me to be outspoken from when I was little. He's like, I want you to be the person that openly talks to people. I want you to be that friendly guy. So, his coaching and my social skills helped me get to that moment where I could give back to them a little bit. And it was just in that moment where I was like, wow, this is amazing. And that's when I knew the (TGR) Foundation, it helps me and all that, but it also gives my family opportunities that we never would've thought possible.”