Joseph DiLorenzo

Challenging, competitive, tranquil, fun, professional, and stressful are all words that I would use to describe the game of golf and why I am so passionate about it. My dad introduced me to golf when I was eight years old and I have been playing it ever since. From improving my physical performance to the growth of my overall personal values I have learned so much from the game. Unlike other sports I will be able to play competitve golf for a very long time and continue to learn.

I have played everything from casual individual golf to competitive team golf and no matter the difference, being out on a beautiful course takes away the distractions of the rest of society if only for a couple of hours. One of the most important things that I have taken away from golf and what keeps me coming back for more is the challenge. Whether my score at the end of my round is great or terrible I always feel like there is room for improvement next time. With the challenge that golf presents comes a need for mental toughness and emotion contol. If you hit your tee shot into the water hazard on the first hole you cannot let that mistake dictate your attitude and performance for the rest of the round.

All of these inner aspects of golf from mental toughness during adversity to the challenge of always wanting to improve directly relate to my future professional career. This past May I took the first of many actuarial exams and unfortunatley, while I did not pass, I learned good and bad studying practices. I did not get discouraged, and I plan to pass the exam by the end of this school year. Actuarial science is an area of study that I have been very interested in since I have been at UMass, and I know that with the right attitude and drive I can move on from past challenges and be ready to conqure others in the future.