At 12 years old, Alexis Florio could only dream of playing the sport she loved at the college level. Now a high school senior at Cranston West, she is on her way to Columbia University and will be playing on the women’s golf team at the Ivy League school.

“I began playing golf seriously at about 12 years old,” Florio said. “The more I played at the national level, there was a high level of competition and coaches were often there recruiting.”

At the age of 13, Florio transitioned from playing in local tournaments to playing at the national level. Seeing the recruiters at those tournaments sparked her to start researching schools, reaching out to them and building her resume and recruiting profile.

“I had big dreams of playing for a top Division One School,” she said. “I set my goals high and wanted to see if I could achieve them. But along the way, on September first of my junior year, I got an email from the coach at Columbia University.”

Florio’s first thought was that she would never be good enough to play for an Ivy League school.

“I had a phone conversation with the coach and I could feel her energy and I liked that,” she said.

In July 2016 Florio was playing in Philadelphia and the coach from Columbia was there recruiting and saw Florio play. She liked her swing and how she handled herself on the golf course.

“We hit it off right away,” Florio said. “The golf was not a problem for me, but this was still an Ivy League school and I was still skeptical. It was scary and intimidating. In November I went for an unofficial visit. The coach scheduled the visit so that I would be with another recruit for my year and two freshmen, who were already on the team, met with us so that we could get a feel for the vibe and the team dynamics. We hit it off.”

Stepping foot on the campus was what finally sealed the deal for Florio.

“That did it,” she said. “It was so pretty, I loved the city and being around the people. It was the best of both worlds. I could balance the academics and the golf.”

As Florio spent time with the other students, driving from the Columbia campus over the bridge into NJ to see the golf courses where the team plays, she felt the positive energy from the other students and knew she was in the right place.

“It was such a good vibe,” she said.

At West, Florio has been enrolled in the CACTC Medical Pathways program and it has helped her to determine that she wants to be an advocate for others, and she is considering enrolling as a pre-law major.

As she prepares to head off to college, however, Florio is working hard to encourage other girls to pursue the sport even in the face of those who may mock them for doing so.

“Girls’ golf is not a prominent sport in Rhode Island,” she said. “I want to leave an impact so that other girls can see that they have the opportunity to make a difference in the sport. As a middle school student I was looked down on by others for playing golf. I had the passion and the strength to stick with it and ignore all of those people who looked down on me.”

Now Florio is involved with the Girls’ Independent Golf League (GIGL), whose goal is to help make golf more fun for girls, and facilitates more of a team experience, as the sport can be a lonely one.

“It’s not about the score, but about being introduced to the sport by other girls who have been in their shoes,” she said. “It’s a really good beginning for them. There are clinics, we teach them stretching and exercises beforehand, we walk the course with them and teach them positive self-talk. They introduce us and the girls can hear me introduced as the Rhode Island Girls’ State Champion and see the other girls are professionals. We have all come back to give back to the game that gave so much to us.”

She also serves as a mentor and coach for a Sunday night girls’ league in April and May for girls in that critical 7-14 age group.

Florio does not want to see the sport die out for girls.

“I have made so many friends, I have had so many opportunities that I would not have had if I did not stick it out.”