Thanks to the support of Peareth, Herrera also benefited from the many experiences and opportunities offered by Girls Golf. This included going to LPGA Leadership Academies, tournaments and even company headquarters. Because of the financial limitations Herrera and her family experienced growing up, none of this would have been possible without Girls Golf.

These experiences were also the impetus for Herrera to look for schools out of state. She wanted to find an environment where she could blossom, and she found just that – and a golf scholarship – at Wheeling University in West Virginia. Having the opportunity to take life into her own hands was exactly what Herrera wanted. What she didn’t expect, however, was just how much she would stand out as a Latina on campus.

“I struggled a lot through my start of college,” she explained. “A lot of the Hispanics at school were internationally based, so I was too white for them and then too Hispanic for the white kids. I tried adjusting my persona before realizing that I am who I am.”

These challenges even extended to her sacred place: the golf course. “First off, to be a Latina in golf is special,” Herrera said. “At home in Miami, it wasn’t uncommon, but after leaving Miami, it became clear I was a minority for the first time in my life. I was confused why there weren’t more girls who looked like me, sounded like me, or acted like me. Even at tournaments, I was the only Hispanic girl in the field, so when I did run into another Latina golfer, I was ecstatic. We always bond over that.”

Not only did Herrera face the challenges of fitting in on campus, but her freshman year was thrown off course by the COVID-19 pandemic. Upon returning to school, however, Herrera quickly settled in, finding success on and off the golf course. After graduating with her bachelor’s degree in business marketing and management in 2023, Herrera chose to pursue her master’s in organizational leadership with a concentration in athletic administration

Given everything that Girls Golf did for Herrera, it was only fitting that she came full circle by taking an internship with the LPGA as a Leadership Academy Coordinator. In this role, she got to attend several academies where she helped the full-time team set up and execute the two-day events where dozens of high school-aged girls learn leadership skills.

One In A Million: The Zoila Herrera Story

Caring. Charismatic. Confident. Passionate. Personable. Poised.

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