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“BART connected me to my dream.”

Read more BART Connects stories at bart.gov/bartconnects.

When Natasha Oon practices at the Lake Merced Golf Club, it’s a treat to see her old pal the BART train glide by the course. 

“It’s like a nice little friend or companion at my practices. I always like seeing it pass by,” said Oon, who made her highly anticipated debut on the LPGA Tour this past March.

BART has played an integral part in her journey to the LPGA, so much so that Oon’s earned the nickname “BART Girl” among friends and colleagues.

Oon moved from Malaysia to the Bay Area after earning an athletic scholarship at San Jose State University (SJSU). Far from home and living in the U.S. for the first time, Oon sought an elite coach that could train her to compete at the highest level. She settled on Erik Stone, who coached Yealimi Noh, an LPGA standout from Concord. 

The issue was Stone coached out of Alameda, and Oon was in San Jose.

 

 

 

 

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“I didn't really know what to do. I didn't know how to get anywhere,” she said. “I found out that to get to him, I had to take BART or it would be super expensive, and I wouldn't be able to see him as much. So BART helped me lower my costs and made it accessible for me to get top tour-level instruction. And now I'm a tour golfer on the LPGA Tour!”

Oon went on to become one of the most accomplished and decorated golfers in SJSU history.

Today, Oon’s homebase is still the Bay Area, and when she’s not touring, she still takes BART all over the place.

“I don’t like parking in the city. I don’t like driving in the city,” she said. “For me as a city girl, I take BART.”

BART, she added, is “such a celebrated thing because it helps people get so many places. And I think that’s beautiful. I have a special place in my heart for BART.”

About BART Connects

Tens of millions of people ride BART every year -- to work, dates, practice, friends, and fun. BART Connects tells their stories. 

In June, BART Communications launched the second edition of BART Connects, a storytelling series that features real BART riders who span generations, neighborhoods, and walks of life. You can read their stories below.

In the coming months, the stars of BART Connects will take us for a ride in a series of video featurettes that will be regularly posted on BART social media.

You will also see the faces of BART Connects riders in advertising spaces in the BART System and across the region. 

BART Connects grew out of a call for rider stories BART Communications launched in 2023 to learn how our transit system impacts people’s lives. The initial response made clear that BART means something to those who ride it. 

Have a cool BART story to share? Submit a short summary at bart.gov/story. You may be the next BART Connects feature! 

In late 2023, BART Communications debuted BART Connects to showcase the real people who ride and rely on BART.  

Each rider featured in BART Connects has a unique story to share: a college student able to attend their dream school thanks to BART; a couple who said BART showed them “life is out there”; a working mom whose only downtime in the day was her BART ride to and from work. Their stories will move and inspire you.  

Today, we debut a video featuring three riders: Howard Wong, Erica Mitchell, and Kevin DeAntoni. Hear their BART stories in the video or read them at bart.gov/bartconnects. 

Soon, you will see the BART Connects riders featured on trains across our system. They’re featured in a new BART marketing campaign that highlights their stories and relevant BART facts. You can view the campaign art in the slideshow below.  

BART Connects grew out of BART's Role in the Region Study, which demonstrates BART’s importance to the Bay Area’s mobility, cultural diversity, environmental and economic sustainability. We conducted a call for stories to hear from riders and understand what BART means to them. More than 300 people responded, and a selection of respondents were interviewed for the BART Connects series.