Lucy Li wears many hats. She’s a professional golfer, competing on the LPGA Tour for her fourth consecutive season, and she’s also a college graduate. But because of her established career on the premiere women’s golf circuit, she’s not your typical fresh-out-of-college, looking-for-a-job, 23-year-old.

Unknown to most, for several years, Li was balancing a full workload at an Ivy League institution in pursuit of a degree in data analytics and psychological sciences while competing upwards of 25 weeks on the road.

Impressed yet? It gets better.

The California native is officially an alumna of the University of Pennsylvania, graduating with a 4.0 GPA in the spring of 2025.

“I was super excited to have been able to graduate, and keeping the 4.0 was really important to me,” said Li. “I probably spent unnecessary amounts of sweat and tears doing that, but I just like working towards a goal, and it was really nice to have both things to do.”

Studying on airplanes and turning in papers late at night after rounds on the LPGA Tour sounds like an extra headache, but for Li, it kept her golf perspective fresh, providing a bit of a distraction when shots or rounds went south.

And while part of the reason for getting the degree was Li’s love for learning, her motivation was also fueled by wanting to keep up with the rest of her highly educated family.

“I grew up in Silicon Valley, and my dad has a PhD, and my mom has a master's in computer science,” said Li. “My brother went to an Ivy League, graduated from Princeton, so they're all really smart, and I wanted to sort of keep up a little bit.”

“Not be the jock of the family, although I still am,” she said with a smile.

The young professional’s interest in STEM has landed her among an esteemed group of women selected for the #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit: Game Changers. The exhibit brings to life 26 STEM innovators powering the world of sports – from data analytics and biomechanics to sports medicine and engineering – through life-size, 3D-printed statues and immersive storytelling.

A class of 26 women honored this exhibit, displayed at the FIFA Fan Festival in Dallas, and represent the many ways STEM shapes the global sports industry. Several current and former athlete include:

Julie Foudy - Soccer Legend, Broadcaster, Podcaster & Advocate
Naomi Girma - Professional Soccer Player
Amanda Alvarez Dieppa - Neuroscientist, Boxer and Entrepreneur
Katie Mae McConnell - Surfer and Marine Ecologist

The group of women span from all types of STEM and sport backgrounds, and after being nominated by LPGA Commissioner, Craig Kessler, Li can now say she’s had a life-size statue made to immortalize her.

“That was really a huge honor,” she said of Kessler’s nomination. “When I heard that it was a statue, like a life-size statue, first of all, it's not going to be that big. But I couldn't believe it almost. It's just such an honor to be one of 26 other amazing women just smashing barriers.”

Li will visit the statue, and do a height comparison, following the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

“I've seen pictures of it already, so I kind of am prepared for it, but I think it's going to be such a surreal experience,” said Li. “And we'll see how tall or short I think I am, getting to see myself. Just be like, 'Oh, okay. Maybe I'm taller than I think I am.' Or maybe I'm like, 'Wow, that's a little short.' Who knows?”

And while the recognition and statue are amazing accomplishments for the 2022 Epson Tour graduate and now LPGA Tour veteran, the most important part of it all is the message it sends to young girls: all dreams are obtainable.

“A lot of times, especially nowadays, there's so much specialization in a lot of things, whether that's science or mathematics, sports, or any type of field,” said Li. “I think it's really important, especially for girls, to say, 'Hey, you can follow your passions. Even if they're two different things that are your passion, it's okay to do both of them and do them 100 percent.'

“When I was telling people that I was gonna do it, I had a lot of support from people, but some people were like, well, maybe you should focus on golf, if that's what you're good at. But this is a huge part of who I am in my heart and soul, so I really wanted to chase down that passion, and I just want to tell the little girls out there who want to do both things that they can, and they can smash it.”

Lucy’s profile for the #IfThenSheCan – The Exhibit: Game Changers can be viewed here.

For more information on #IfThenSheCan, please visit https://www.ifthenshecan.org/ or on Instagram.

Lucy Li Smashes Barriers with UPenn Graduation and Game Changers Exhibit Selection

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