Trillium Rose doesn’t just love golf, she lives it.

At the age of just six she swung her first golf club while on the practice range with her father. By the age of eight she was on the course with him, enjoying how he made the game so much fun. As she grew older, in order to play with other kids her age, she began entering into junior tournaments. 

Yet still, the idea of turning professional never crossed her mind, golf was just a sport she liked playing, not something she considered as a career. So in high school, figuring that she could play golf when she retired, Trillium opted to focus more on lacrosse. She continued playing lacrosse through her undergraduate studies until, a few years after graduating, she realized she wanted to focus on golf, specifically, teaching it.

“I love meeting people and getting to know how people think and what makes them tick – that lead me into teaching.” With her love of golf and the opportunity to share it with people through teaching, Trillium found the perfect match.  To better help her players improve, she decided to learn the science behind how people move by attending Columbia University to earn a masters in Motor Learning and Control.

Though she usually doesn’t discuss the nitty-gritty neural processes that are taking place while her students golf, she always has a great reason, backed by science, for saying or not saying something during a lesson.

Though she loves teaching students of all ages and abilities, her current proximity to Washington D.C. means that some of her students can be quite well known. Many of them are in politics including some White House appointees, Ambassadors, a few Senators and a handful of CEOs of larger companies.

When she’s not teaching, however, Trillium makes sure to take time for her own game. “I think of my passion for the game as a little flame, and every time I play, it keeps the flame going. Plus it’s important that I know what my students are going through.” While improving her game, she has also had the chance to get to know some celebrities in the world of sports and acting, including Samuel L. Jackson and Bill Murray. Murray, a member at a club where she taught, is someone she describes as a “extraordinarily intelligent, a very good athlete and, of course, very funny!”

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Who inspires you in sports or otherwise? Why? 

When I was much younger I decided that I would draw together a personal board of directors.  They didn’t necessarily know that I called it that, but I would look to them for mentoring and inspiration.  That was critical for me as I navigated through unchartered territory as a young adult.

My father has always been an inspiration in how he views mundane everyday things.  Conventions were not his thing, and when everyone else would walk in lockstep with them, he would be skipping along on his own.  He sees situations and turns them on their side.  I’ve always checked myself when I feel like I’m falling into the easy way and try to be sure that I’m staying creative.

One big inspiration was Paul Farmer, a Harvard University faculty physician and anthropologist.  I went to a talk he gave for one of his books at USAID here in Washington, D.C.  He described how he balanced three areas of his profession: his private practice, he taught medicine to medical students, and how he was working on public policy in health related issues.   It was an inspiration to me because I wanted to do similar things with golf.  I always wanted to teach private lessons because it’s at the core of what I’ve been trained and love.  I also want to help the profession by sharing with colleagues.  That takes the form of seminar presentations, panel discussions, radio, and podcasts.  Beyond that I’ve been keen to develop curriculums for golf and was just asked to be on the Advisory Board of the LPGA Learning, Education, and Training Committee.  Yes!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Spare time?  What’s that?  I love reading. And I do love to cook.  When it’s warm outside I might go for a run.  Or have people over for a backyard cookout.

What do you like most about your job? 

I love interacting with people in order to learn how they function.  The best part about my job is that I’m helping people do something that give them enjoyment.  I’m also outside most of the day, so that’s nice too.

How did you hear of about.me and what made you sign up for it?

I can’t remember how I heard about about.me.  I think someone had it in his signature and I clicked on it.  From there I was interested in how many people were putting their stories on their page.  It was like walking on the street of Manhattan, people watching, but now you could actually learn a little bit about what they are doing.

What’s your favorite feature on the platform?

I like the concept of a one page “business card” that people can quickly see and learn from.  It’s so easy and simple.

How are you using the platform on other digital mediums (in your email signature, a WordPress widget, etc.)?

I use it on my email signature and on my website.

To learn more about Trillium Rose check out her about.me page. To learn more about our March Madness interviews with athletes, click here.

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Eliana Arredondo is the Community Manager for about.me. She is a graduate of Stanford University.