The crowd holds their breath as Jacqueline Zang ’25, with her driver in hand, steps up into the tee box of the first hole.
She carefully chooses a spot to place her tee and golf ball. Visualizing her shot, Zang takes a confident swing, influenced by her favorite professional golfer, Nelly Korda. Her shot breaks the crowd’s silence as it flies through the sky and lands perfectly on the green.

At age five, Zang began playing golf after her father introduced her to it. She initially only played with her family, but later in her career, she would go on to compete in major tournaments.

“I used to play tennis, and when I was around 11, my parents told me to choose one or the other,” said Zang.
“It’s funny, because I didn’t want to do tennis because my dad told me I’d be running around in the heat. So I chose golf not because I liked one more than the other, [but] just because I didn’t want to run.”

After deciding to pursue golf over tennis, Zang began practicing at her local country club’s driving range with her sister, Madeline Zang ’23. When they practiced, they would help and encourage each other, with coaching from their father as well.

“November through March, I try to do around an hour a day. Sometimes I skip a few days. In the summer, if I’m not playing a tournament that weekend, I’ll be practicing five to seven [hours],” said Zang.

Zang joined the PHS golf team in her freshman year, when golf was still a co-ed sport led by Head Coach Patrick Noone and Assistant Coach Jess Monzo. By her sophomore year, a girls-only team was formed with Monzo as head coach. Over the years, Monzo has witnessed Zang grow both as a player and a person.

“She’s definitely matured a lot. She’s always been very focused, very lights out,” said Monzo.
“[She] knows what she wants to do, but I think as she’s gotten older, she’s developed and kind of matured in the sport and understands that if I don’t make every shot, it’s not going to make or break me.”

Zang’s determination and discipline not only helped her grow into the golfer she is today, but also inspired her teammates—including close friend Kyuyoung Chung ’26.

“She’s definitely very skilled as a golfer, and so I think that’s definitely inspired a lot of the girls to practice more,” said Chung.
“We’ve seen scores go down from last year, so score-wise we’re doing better than we did last year.”

In addition to her skill, Zang, who now captains the team, is known for her leadership.

“She also has this sort of leadership [quality] about her, and so she’s just sort of someone you can look up to, and I certainly look up to her,” said Chung.

Monzo echoed this sentiment, recognizing the impact Zang has had on her teammates.

“Every girl looks up to her,” said Monzo.
“She’s able to kind of help, and she lends a hand, and she’s always available to give girls advice. So she’s been one of a kind.”

Throughout her golf career, Zang has qualified for the National Junior PGA Championship, been inducted into the Rolex Honor Society, and placed in the top five at an American Junior Golf Association tournament in 2022.

Still, she admits that the sport has not always been easy—especially mentally.

“[The most difficult part of] golf for me [is] probably the mental side. Just being in the moment, committing to it, and actually doing what I’m trying to do on the course,” said Zang.

Despite golf often being an individual sport, Zang’s favorite part is when it becomes a team effort.

“[My favorite part] … is team golf because golf is an individual sport, so it can get kind of lonely sometimes,” said Zang.
“Everyone plays their own ball, and then you add up each individual score for a combined team.”

Now committed to Carnegie Mellon University, Zang hopes to contribute to another successful season at the collegiate level. As she prepares to move on from PHS, she reflects on what golf has taught her.

“It’s a lot of ups and downs. It’s never really consistent, so when you’re not playing as well, [be] patient with yourself, and keep your hard work up,” said Zang.


Photo: Charley Hu

Zang is one of the original members of the girls golf team, and is preparing with the rest of the team to gear up for the Mercer County Championships in May. 

Jaqueline Zang ’25: golf

Pollution, climate change, and overpopulation are just
a few of the major global issues that are yet to be solved.
Posts about these issues are omnipresent on social media,
along with comments sections full of people exclaiming
that humanity is doomed. This nihilistic content is
extremely harmful, particularly for teenagers, as they spend
significant time on social media. Moreover, while it is true
that these major global issues have yet to be solved, adopting
a mindset that states these problems are insurmountable
achieves nothing. The constant stream of pessimism
can make people feel
hopeless, deteriorating
their mental well-being
and decreasing their
motivation to enact
change. 

With teenagers’
dependability on
social media comes
the increased risk
of being exposed to
misinformation or
biased content, making
it nearly impossible to
discern what is true
from false. A 2022
study conducted by the
Common Sense Media
found that on average,
teenagers spend around
eight and a half hours on social media platforms each day. Moreover, reports
from the World Press Institute in 2022, found that about
50 percent of teenagers use Facebook or YouTube over
credible news sources to obtain their news. As a result of
engaging with such distorted and inaccurate content, teens
often feel overwhelmed by the negativity, and they see this
feeling reflected in the “doomer,” an internet character
that depicts a man living a life of helplessness and despair.

While it may be convenient to indulge in this doomer
mindset, the more effective approach to combating personal
and global issues
is by embracing
positivity, which
can improve one’s
mental health
as well as their
problem-solving
skills. Focusing
on positivity helps
lower stress levels
and anxiety, which is
important for both
emotional wellbeing and physical
health. For instance,
a study done by
Kansas University
in 2012 found that
smiling and fake
smiling both reduce
heart rate and blood pressure in stressful situations. 

Importantly, students who remain optimistic, rather
than pessimistic, are more confident and creative when
approaching problems, as they’re better at handling their
emotions. Research done by Edward Chang of Oxford
University in 2013 also revealed that individuals exposed
to optimistic thoughts demonstrated significantly better
problem solving skills than those exposed to neutral or
negative thoughts. This means that promoting critical
thinking and problem solving skills starting as teenagers
will take us towards a solution for our global problems
much more effectively.

It is essential to identify what PHS can do to help embrace
optimism. One way to spread positivity is by incorporating
it into our daily lives. The school can recognize and
reward efforts to build a more positive environment, not
just achievements, to build morale. For example, in PHS
Principal Cecilia Birge’s weekly newsletters, there could
be a section dedicated to sharing motivational stories
or uplifting quotes. In a world where negativity is more
prevalent than ever, building a positive mindset is the most
crucial step towards solving our global problems. 

The importance of positivity

If there are laws to protect individuals in marginalized
communities from discrimination in areas like employment,
healthcare, and education, why shouldn’t there be laws to
protect books that reflect their stories and experiences?
Students at PHS and across the country deserve access
to the voices of minority
groups and a chance to
learn about their lives and
beliefs through literature.
According to the American
Library Association
(ALA), censorship of
books has increased by
65 percent from 2022
to 2023, with over 4,000
books containing themes
of racial justice or gender
identity being banned
from public and school
libraries. Recently,
however, the New Jersey
Senate has started to focus
on preventing censorship
to promote diversity.

On October 28, 2024,
the Freedom to Read
Act was passed by the
New Jersey Senate, but is
currently awaiting the approval of Governor Phil Murphy.
This law will prevent books from being banned solely
because of their origin, background, or views in public
and school libraries. It aims to enforce the ALA’s Library
Bill of Rights, which seeks to make libraries inclusive and
diverse environments. This is especially important for
students as access to more diverse literature allows them
to build cultural awareness, empathy, and critical thinking.

In addition, if the Freedom to Read Act is approved, it
will protect librarians. Currently, librarians face pressure
to remove certain books, especially those dealing with
sensitive topics such as race and gender. In 2023, a survey
conducted by the School Library Journal found that 18
percent of elementary
school librarians
reported experiencing
harassment, and the
rate rose to 30 percent
among librarians
in high schools.
Harassment often
comes from parents
who want to protect
their children from
content they consider
harmful. It also often
comes from political
groups who oppose
the representation of
certain ideas, such as
LGBTQ+ themes, in
libraries. As a result,
these people claim that
librarians are spreading
inappropriate content
and pressure them to
remove those books, despite a lack of evidence. With the
Freedom to Read Act in place, librarians will be granted
liability protection, encouraging them to do their jobs
without fear of legal repercussions and harassment from
the public, leading to a less stressful work environment.

The harmful effects of censorship on society are
displayed in Ray Bradbury’s dystopian novel “Fahrenheit
451.” Bradbury’s novel is a direct reference to historical
censorship events like the Nazi book burnings, where
thousands of books, primarily written by Jewish authors
or others considered “un-German,” were destroyed to
control public thought. In the book, everything that goes
against the government’s ideals are censored, leaving
people desensitized and overly reliant on technology,
making them unable to think for themselves. Individuals
also refrain from sharing their opinions due to the fear of
retribution. Today, the novel serves as a reminder of the
importance of protecting individuality and preventing
censorship from enforcing conformity and suppressing
critical thought within individuals.

In a world where the voices of marginalized groups are
suppressed, it is incredibly important to solve the issue of
censorship and be able to connect with all communities.
The Freedom to Read Act is one step towards this, but
censorship still remains a concern: Pen America found
that in the United States, there are over 40 educational gag
orders that have become law in over 22 states, restricting
topics such as race and gender to be taught in schools.
Such policies prevent individuals from developing beliefs
and critical thinking. With the Freedom to Read Act, New
Jersey will set an example for other states to establish laws
that restrain censorship. Now it is time for us to advocate
and promote similar ideas that advocate for freedom of
expression and access to diverse perspectives so that we
can explore our own interests and beliefs without our
rights being infringed by censorship.

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