Built to Disrupt: How TGR Foundation reimagined the after-school experience through STEM
Twenty years ago, when I joined TGR Foundation to create what would become the Tiger Woods Learning Center, now TGR Learning Lab Anaheim, we weren’t trying to recreate an after-school program. We were trying to disrupt the space. I came from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where I studied educational leadership and policy to prepare to become […]
Where Are They Now? Kenneth Punyasavatsut, Registered Nurse
Kenneth Punyasavatsut joined the TGR Learning Lab Anaheim as a high school student preparing for his next chapter. While taking a variety of classes, he developed lifelong relationships, skills and memories that inspired him to pay it forward. After graduating he continued involvement as a volunteer that shifted his career path from engineering. As we […]
Start Something: Lasting lessons that shaped the legacy of TGR Foundation
When I was hired at TGR Foundation as a program manager in 2006, I was doe-eyed and a little rough around the edges. During my interviews, I met Dr. Kathy Bihr, who must have spotted a diamond in the rough. Coming from a creative arts and nonprofit background, I understood intrinsically what young people needed […]
Lincoln Financial and TGR Foundation Launch Bold Starts, a Program to Empower Youth through Financial Education Opportunities
Accomplished nonprofit and social impact leader to accelerate philanthropic growth, strategic partnerships and national expansion
What Do You Want to Be? First, Let Students See What’s Possible.
|Share Table of Contents I had two career options. Neither stuck. Students need more than a list of careers Make the work real Changing direction has a price Every experience should open a next step Give students something to base their dreams on “What do you want to be when you grow up?”We ask kids […]
TGR Foundation announces newest cohort of DoW STEM Ambassadors
TGR Foundation is excited to welcome 30 educators from across the country to the 2026 – 2027 Department of War (DoW) STEM Ambassador program, the seventh cohort since the program launched. In partnership with DoW STEM and the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC), and managed and facilitated by TGR Foundation since 2021, the program is […]
Where are they now? Brandon Layman, Filmmaker
After discovering his passion for video editing, Brandon Layman began taking classes at the TGR Learning Lab that turned possibility into a profession. While exploring pathways and building new skills through after-school programs, he was accepted into the Orange County School of the Arts, where he nurtured his passion for media and storytelling. Since graduating, […]
AI has the Power to Unlock Potential — If We Close the AI Opportunity Gap
Why early exposure is becoming the dividing line in AI literacy for students — and what it will take to make future-ready skills available to every young person, not just the ones already ahead.
Back-to-school tips for college students: What our staff told incoming Earl Woods Scholars
Say yes to new experiences and try them more than once. Show up with confidence, because you belong. Ask questions early and go to office hours. Protect your sleep, meals and time for yourself. Stay connected with family. And keep your future in mind while you live in the now. The end of summer marks […]
Otis College Completes Inaugural Summer Program with Harbor Freight and TGR Foundation
At the Creative Trades Lab, L.A. high school students explored woodworking and metal fabrication while building meaningful projects for the future TGR Learning Lab Los Angeles. High school students participate in the inaugural Creative Trades Lab at Otis College during summer 2026. A new pilot program—a partnership between Otis College of Art and Design and […]
