Why do I call Arkansas my second home?

Six years ago, I came to Fayetteville to play one of the major junior tournaments, the TOC Rolex Tournament of Champions, an AJGA event.

I couldn’t resist the feelings I had for the amazing facilities at The Blessings Golf Course, but more specifically I will never forget how happy and excited I was to meet coach Shauna Estes-Taylor and coach Mike Adams. That week, I made my first unofficial visit to a college campus and I remember telling my mom, “I don’t want to make another trip. I love this place.”

There’s no other community like Razorback fans. Coming from another country, I knew that experiencing a different culture, language and lifestyle was going to be a challenge for me. However, as soon as I got to the University of Arkansas, I felt included, safe, and taken care of in every way.

Every student-athlete has everything he or she needs to be successful in the classroom and in his or her sport. That’s when I realized I was in the right place — my second home.

What I like the most about the Razorback community is that everyone made me feel part of a family. The fans and the support we received outside the university made me feel even more proud to be a Razorback.

Closing cycles is important in life. One of my favorite sayings from coach Taylor is, “We accomplish different things in life but a college degree is something than no one can take away from you.”

After four years as a student-athlete at the University of Arkansas, I closed an amazing chapter of my life when I graduated in May.

I would like to thank my parents for teaching me the importance of education in life. They would often say to me, “school goes first and golf comes second.”

Thanks to Jeff Long and the athletics department for giving me the amazing opportunity to represent the Razorbacks across the nation. I also can’t leave out John Tyson for providing the women’s and men’s golf team with the best facilities in the country at the Blessings Golf Course.

I also want to recognize our support staff, including our strength coach Whitney Branham and athletic trainer Natalie Trotter for always pushing me to reach my highest potential at the gym. A special shout out to Jeri Thorpe, our sports information director, for guiding me through interviews and for being patient when my English wasn’t good at the time.

I couldn’t have accomplished all that I did without my teammates. Thanks for being by my side. You are my sisters and the reason we performed well was because we always pushed and helped each other out.

Last but not least, I want to say ‘thank you’ to coach Shauna and coach Mike. They took care of me for more than four years and there is no question about it — they are the best coaches in the nation. I learned many things from them but the most important one is the value of perseverance.

Learning and competing week after week against the best schools in the nation helped me develop my highest potential in golf, which took me to the next step. Now, I am a professional golfer on the LPGA Tour and I feel very excited to have the opportunity to represent Mexico and the Razorbacks in the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. I know that my experiences at the University of Arkansas were important in shaping me into the person I am today.

I will always feel proud to represent the Razorbacks and Mexico everywhere I go.

Go Hogs,
Gaby Lopez