Latest news with #EvansScholarship
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Lifestyle
- Yahoo
How three L.A. students turned working as caddies into life-changing scholarships
Saint Monica Prep students Macayla Story, Johnnie García and Nicolás Vallejo received life-changing scholarships thanks to golf. Story vividly remembers the moment she received the acceptance letter. She was in Palm Springs when her mother called to tell her that a large envelope had arrived. The envelope contained a letter informing her she would be receiving the $125,000 Chick Evans Scholarship, a program supported by the Western Golf Assn. that will allow her to attend a university without having to worry about housing costs or tuition for four years. Advertisement 'When I came back, I opened it with her by my side. I showed her the letter and she started crying. It was an incredible moment,' Story told L.A. Times en Español. Story traveled to Chicago to work as a caddie for two months at Skokie Country Club, and Garcia and Vallejo did the program locally with Los Angeles Country Club. All they were guaranteed was pay for their work and a chance to apply for the lucrative scholarships. The three students went through an interview process along with other applicants in February. The scholarship winners were announced in April. They were recognized by the largest privately funded scholarship program in the country. The scholarships are awarded to student caddies who demonstrate academic excellence, financial need, dedication on the golf course and exemplary character. Raised by a single mother, Story always knew that financing college would be a challenge. The scholarship represents not only an academic opportunity, but also a huge relief for her family. Advertisement Story's entry into the world of golf was, as she puts it, 'by accident.' She knew nothing about the sport when she enrolled in the summer program. 'I was very shy; I didn't know if I was going to make friends or what I was supposed to do as a caddie,' she recalls. But over time, she not only adjusted, but grew personally and professionally. 'As a teenager in Los Angeles, it's very easy to get lost in cellphone screens all summer. But being in the field helped me socialize, be outdoors, talk to adults. It made me grow up.' Los Angeles Country Club, which hosted the 2023 U.S. Open, hosted Garcia and Vallejo. They became the club's first scholarship recipients in its first year participating in the scholarship program. The caddie experience also began with uncertainty for Garcia, but it soon became a challenge that he took seriously. Advertisement Read more: Bradford family: Giants in height and volleyball 'At first, I didn't know anything about golf. I just wanted to do well because I understood that there was a real possibility of going to college without my family having to go into debt,' said Garcia, 18. During three summers, Garcia worked five days a week, accumulating more than 100 rounds as a caddie, one of the conditions for applying for the Evans Scholarship. 'It was heavy, but I learned to be responsible, to be on time, to have initiative. You learn to read people, to understand what they need without them saying it.' Garcia, whose father is Mexican and mother is from Belize, comes from a family that has worked hard to provide him with opportunities. Advertisement 'My mom works with foster kids. She helps assign cases to them. She basically helps them find a suitable home for them, because I know what a family means to me and I know she loves what she does. And my dad basically works with FedEx. He drives to Burbank every day for the whole time there, just working,' Garcia said proudly. Vallejo also dedicated three summers to the caddie program, getting up early, enduring the heat and carrying heavy bags, always with a fixed idea in mind. 'I knew the scholarship existed, but not that I was going to get it. I just focused on doing my best,' recalled Vallejo, who is a second-generation student of Mexican descent. Read more: Prep talk: Seven of eight women's College World Series teams have SoCal players Advertisement 'My mom was a homemaker and my dad worked in a grocery store. We didn't have much, but they were always there,' Vallejo recounted. 'They always worked hard enough to send me to private school, to give me a good education and for me to have everything I wanted, everything I could have. So I would say our financial situation could be a lot worse. ... This money is going to help a lot in the long run.' Saint Monica Prep Principal James Spellman celebrates the scholarships as a sign that the school's educational model is working. 'These students represent the best of our community: resilience, hard work and real aspirations to excel. Many of our students are from families facing economic hardship, but with the right support, they achieve great things,' Spellman said. Spellman notes that the school has had a close relationship with the Caddie Academy for many years, dating back to when the program decided to expand into the Los Angeles area. Advertisement Read more: Prep talk: Grant Leary of Crespi is a golfer to watch 'At first, for many parents, golf was an unknown world. But when they saw that their children could earn a summer income and have access to a scholarship like this, they were convinced,' he said. 'Beyond the money, the students acquire skills that will serve them all their lives: responsibility, leadership, communication skills. It's a well-rounded education." The Chick Evans Scholarship has been awarded to more than 12,000 caddies since its inception. There are more than 1,190 scholarship students at 24 universities across the country. For three Angelenos, the journey began with a backpack on their shoulders, walking in the sun, carrying other people's golf clubs. Now they can consider attending colleges that would have otherwise been out of reach. 'Originally the student had to go to Chicago for the summer and the beauty of that is they work and make $3,000 to $4,000 as caddies, and they come back with it to help their families,' Spellman said. 'These students here, all three of them are very similar, but they're very different. And they're great ambassadors, not only for the school, but for the program because they're athletic, they're outgoing, they have good grades. They weren't golfers before, so they really took advantage of the opportunity and stuck with it. They did well in the classroom and that was a big part of it too.' Advertisement This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español. Get the best, most interesting and strangest stories of the day from the L.A. sports scene and beyond from our newsletter The Sports Report. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
28-05-2025
- Sport
- Los Angeles Times
How three L.A. students turned working as caddies into life-changing scholarships
Saint Monica Prep students Macayla Story, Johnnie García and Nicolás Vallejo received life-changing scholarships thanks to golf. Story vividly remembers the moment she received the acceptance letter. She was in Palm Springs when her mother called to tell her that a large envelope had arrived. The envelope contained a letter informing her she would be receiving the $125,000 Chick Evans Scholarship, a program supported by the Western Golf Assn. that will allow her to attend a university without having to worry about housing costs or tuition for four years. 'When I came back, I opened it with her by my side. I showed her the letter and she started crying. It was an incredible moment,' Story told L.A. Times en Español. Story traveled to Chicago to work as a caddie for two months at Skokie Country Club, and Garcia and Vallejo did the program locally with Los Angeles Country Club. All they were guaranteed was pay for their work and a chance to apply for the lucrative scholarships. The three students went through an interview process along with other applicants in February. The scholarship winners were announced in April. They were recognized by the largest privately funded scholarship program in the country. The scholarships are awarded to student caddies who demonstrate academic excellence, financial need, dedication on the golf course and exemplary character. Raised by a single mother, Story always knew that financing college would be a challenge. The scholarship represents not only an academic opportunity, but also a huge relief for her family. Story's entry into the world of golf was, as she puts it, 'by accident.' She knew nothing about the sport when she enrolled in the summer program. 'I was very shy; I didn't know if I was going to make friends or what I was supposed to do as a caddie,' she recalls. But over time, she not only adjusted, but grew personally and professionally. 'As a teenager in Los Angeles, it's very easy to get lost in cellphone screens all summer. But being in the field helped me socialize, be outdoors, talk to adults. It made me grow up.' Los Angeles Country Club, which hosted the 2023 U.S. Open, hosted Garcia and Vallejo. They became the club's first scholarship recipients in its first year participating in the scholarship program. The caddie experience also began with uncertainty for Garcia, but it soon became a challenge that he took seriously. 'At first, I didn't know anything about golf. I just wanted to do well because I understood that there was a real possibility of going to college without my family having to go into debt,' said Garcia, 18. During three summers, Garcia worked five days a week, accumulating more than 100 rounds as a caddie, one of the conditions for applying for the Evans Scholarship. 'It was heavy, but I learned to be responsible, to be on time, to have initiative. You learn to read people, to understand what they need without them saying it.' Garcia, whose father is Mexican and mother is from Belize, comes from a family that has worked hard to provide him with opportunities. 'My mom works with foster kids. She helps assign cases to them. She basically helps them find a suitable home for them, because I know what a family means to me and I know she loves what she does. And my dad basically works with FedEx. He drives to Burbank every day for the whole time there, just working,' Garcia said proudly. Vallejo also dedicated three summers to the caddie program, getting up early, enduring the heat and carrying heavy bags, always with a fixed idea in mind. 'I knew the scholarship existed, but not that I was going to get it. I just focused on doing my best,' recalled Vallejo, who is a second-generation student of Mexican descent. 'My mom was a homemaker and my dad worked in a grocery store. We didn't have much, but they were always there,' Vallejo recounted. 'They always worked hard enough to send me to private school, to give me a good education and for me to have everything I wanted, everything I could have. So I would say our financial situation could be a lot worse. ... This money is going to help a lot in the long run.' Saint Monica Prep Principal James Spellman celebrates the scholarships as a sign that the school's educational model is working. 'These students represent the best of our community: resilience, hard work and real aspirations to excel. Many of our students are from families facing economic hardship, but with the right support, they achieve great things,' Spellman said. Spellman notes that the school has had a close relationship with the Caddie Academy for many years, dating back to when the program decided to expand into the Los Angeles area. 'At first, for many parents, golf was an unknown world. But when they saw that their children could earn a summer income and have access to a scholarship like this, they were convinced,' he said. 'Beyond the money, the students acquire skills that will serve them all their lives: responsibility, leadership, communication skills. It's a well-rounded education.' The Chick Evans Scholarship has been awarded to more than 12,000 caddies since its inception. There are more than 1,190 scholarship students at 24 universities across the country. For three Angelenos, the journey began with a backpack on their shoulders, walking in the sun, carrying other people's golf clubs. Now they can consider attending colleges that would have otherwise been out of reach. 'Originally the student had to go to Chicago for the summer and the beauty of that is they work and make $3,000 to $4,000 as caddies, and they come back with it to help their families,' Spellman said. 'These students here, all three of them are very similar, but they're very different. And they're great ambassadors, not only for the school, but for the program because they're athletic, they're outgoing, they have good grades. They weren't golfers before, so they really took advantage of the opportunity and stuck with it. They did well in the classroom and that was a big part of it too.' This article first appeared in Spanish via L.A. Times en Español.
USA Today
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
This caddie at Florida's top-ranked private golf course wants to follow in dad's footsteps
This caddie at Florida's top-ranked private golf course wants to follow in dad's footsteps With strawberry blonde hair, blue eyes and a tall, slender frame, it's impossible not to recognize the resemblance between Chandler Cantwell and his father, Tim. Turns out they share more than DNA. After initially choosing baseball as his sport, Chandler followed his father into golf at 12. Tim was a longtime caddie at the famed Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach and is the PGA teaching professional at PGA National Resort. Chandler said watching Rory McIroy win the 2019 Players Championship spurred him to become serious about golf, but being exposed to the sport by his father made the move inevitable. Chandler started caddying at Seminole when he was 14. 'I definitely want to be in the golf industry like my dad,' Chandler said. 'There's always hope of playing professionally, which is very tough, but something I want to work toward. Even if I can't play golf for a living, I want to be in the business, whether that's being a club pro or working for an equipment company.' More: IN HONOR OF MOM: Bella Cecere dedicates her life to late mother Kristin Hoke What started as an after-school job has turned into a full-time pursuit, especially when Chandler recently learned he had been awarded a full Evans Scholarship worth more than $125,000. Chandler, an 18-year-old senior at Dwyer High School, becomes the fifth Seminole caddie to have his college tuition paid for by the Evans Scholars Foundation. 'I never thought about getting a scholarship my first few years of caddying,' Chandler said. 'It wasn't until last year that I started to really mature and realize, 'Wow, I can get my college paid for,' which is pretty remarkable.' And fitting. Grandfather Bill Topp a founding contributor to Evans Scholars Foundation Tim's grandfather, Bill Topp, was one of the founding contributors of the Evans Scholars Foundation, an Illinois-based nonprofit that was started in 1930 by famed amateur Chuck 'Chick' Evans. Operated by the Western Golf Association, the program has helped almost 12,000 caddies graduate from college, based on financial need, a strong caddying record, academic success and overall character. 'For Chandler to be a part of this, when my grandfather was one of the contributing founders, is pretty incredible,' Tim said. 'It was humbling and pure elation when we found out he had been selected because there's a lot of great candidates. He's put in a lot of hard work the last four years.' It's not easy being a caddie at an iconic course such as Seminole, especially when you're younger than some of the clubs in the members' bags. Seminole has a high-profile membership – think names like Tom Brady – who take their golf very seriously. The last thing they want is a bad read on a putt or an incorrect yardage. When Chandler started looping at Seminole four years ago, he felt like he was walking into a three-club wind. While he had his father guide him off the course, caddies are on their own at Seminole, where constantly changing wind conditions off the Atlantic Ocean, not to mention the crazy-difficult greens, make looping a constant challenge. Yet working for Seminole has a host of advantages. Club President Jimmy Dunne, head PGA professional Bob Ford (now retired), Matt Cahill and longtime Seminole member John Hand – who started a youth caddie program at the club and is now a Western Golf Association director – have been extremely supportive of young caddies such as Chandler. 'It's a credit to Seminole how well they took him under their wing,' Tim said. 'They beat him up a little bit, but that made him better with his maturity and got him out of his shell. He's a late bloomer, like me.' There is plenty of prestige that goes with wearing the Seminole caddie bib and being exposed to a place that values the game's history and tradition as much as any U.S. club. But with that honor comes responsibility. 'You want to make sure you provide the best service to the member because they expect great service,' Chandler said. 'That pressure really helps you being able to deliver under pressure. 'I feel like I have an obligation to help the member play the best they can play. When I hit a perfect read, and they make it, that's a lot of fun. You need to know what to say at the right time and getting your point across quickly. At Seminole, there's a rule: You want to get your point across in about seven seconds.' Chandler Cantwell joins Bella Cecere as Evans Scholarship winners Chandler joins North Palm Beach resident Bella Cecere, a senior at Dreyfoos, in receiving Evans Scholarships. Cecere, the daughter of late WPBF-Channel 25 anchor Kristin Hoke, will attend the University of Delaware and study nursing in honor of her mom. 'As we continue to expand access to youth caddie opportunities across the state of Florida, we are so proud to have two academically strong caddies receive this life-changing gift,' said Hand, Seminole member and WGA director. 'We hope they will inspire more young people from Florida to seek out the best summer job there is – caddying.' Chandler will attend the University of South Carolina, where he plans to study business and try to walk on to the golf team. Regardless of whether he makes the team, Chandler is certain he will take the same golf path as his father. 'My dad has helped me so much in this journey,' Chandler said. They look alike, although Chandler's recent growth has gone beyond his maturity. When asked who was taller, the 6-foot-3 Tim laughed. 'We're the same height,' he said, 'but I'm not going to admit that.'
USA Today
18-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
These 8 high school caddies are 'so grateful' to a part of next wave of Evans Scholars
These 8 high school caddies are 'so grateful' to a part of next wave of Evans Scholars Show Caption Hide Caption High achieving golf caddies could earn scholarship Caddies with strong records, excellent academics, outstanding character and demonstrated financial need can qualify for the Evans Scholarship. Fox - 10 Phoenix Edison Moya has never teed up his own ball on a golf course. But he's helped hundreds of people enjoy their experience playing at Essex County Country Club just a little bit more. Most probably don't even know his name. Even fewer know his story. But Moya is OK with that. A senior at Butler High School in Butler, New Jersey, Moya works weekends and summers as a caddie. That job will send Moya to college in an unexpected way. He is one of about 360 caddies from across the United States who earned full tuition and housing grants through the Western Golf Association's Evans Scholars Foundation. The association announced its annual recipients in late March, including eight with ties to the New Jersey Golf Caddie Scholarship Foundation. Each will receive a full ride for four years, valued at about $125,000, if they attend one of 24 partner universities around the country. The Evans Foundation was launched in 1928 by Charles "Chick" Evans, who started caddying at Edgewater Golf Club in Chicago when he was 8. One of just two golfers to ever win the U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur in the same year, Evans had attended Northwestern as a freshman but had to drop out. Devoted to amateurism, he donated all his earnings from a six-decade career in golf to enable other caddies to further their education. Other Evans Scholarships went to Garden State students who live or work in Lincoln Park, River Vale, North Bergen, North Plainfield, Wall and Red Bank. Most of the New Jersey winners are expected to attend Rutgers. But that's another way Moya is different. The day he was accepted, he wrote a one-page letter explaining why he wanted to transfer his scholarship to Michigan State. He plans to major in political science, and hopes to become an attorney. "I was born with this passion to explore, to see what life has to offer, not just in New Jersey," said Moya, the youngest of four kids and the only boy. "When I visited Michigan State (three years ago), I fell in love with it. I'm walking through the dorms and the architecture, it felt like me and who I was and who I want to become. It felt like home." That's how Luke Phillips feels on the golf course. He "always had a club in my hand," whether he was putting in the basement or chipping in the backyard with his father. He works at Rumson Country Club as a caddie and in the bag room, caring for members' clubs and equipment. He hasn't logged as many hours this spring, because he's also a goalie on Christian Brothers Academy's lacrosse team. "I'm so grateful, I can't even put it into words," said Phillips, who plans to attend Rutgers. "Rumson, they supported me and gave me such a great opportunity. It's really a blessing." There are 1,190 caddies – including 21 from New Jersey – at the partner universities. More than 12,200 Evans Scholars have graduated since the program was founded in 1930. Like Harry Diamond guiding Rory McIlroy to the Masters title last weekend, caddies do a lot more than carry bags. They track shots, measure yardage, read greens, and provide community, even if just for a four-hour round. Brian Ramirez is another caddie who says actually playing golf "just never was my thing." A senior at St. Benedict's Prep in Newark, he found out about the Evans Scholars Foundation before he even started as a freshman. He got an email about caddie jobs open to incoming students, which mentioned the scholarship in passing. Two of about 20 student-caddies from St. Benedict's, Ramirez and Pedro Chicas of North Bergen, who works at Crestmont Country Club in West Orange, are both Evans Scholars this year. Lindsay Gilbert, who plays golf for Wall High School and works at Spring Lake Golf Club, and Rockland County resident Molly Craffey, who works at Edgewood Country Club in River Vale, are the only two girls recognized by New Jersey Golf this year. The recipients, each of whom had at least a B average and two years of caddie experience, had to write an essay explaining how the scholarship would help in the future. "It's a competition. You have to rise above the rest," said Ramirez, who lives in North Plainfield and works at Baltusrol, the Springfield club that has hosted 10 PGA majors. "The more you caddie, the more experience you get, and that's how you usually grow. Sometimes I meet wonderful people. Other times, I meet people who are just mad at everything. I've seen somebody break their clubs, other people throwing things." Though Moya and his friends have spent plenty of time at Golf23 in Wayne, he hasn't played a course yet. He's still accumulating his desired golf bag. He has a complete set of irons and wedges but is still on the hunt for a driver, 3-wood and putter. "When I first start playing at a course, I really want to make that one of the best rounds I can play," Moya said. "I've really been preparing myself for my first actual tee shot. Instead of being the caddie, I'll be the golfer." New Jersey Golf Evans Scholars Peter Tadrick (Brick Memorial) Hollywood GC Edison Moya (Butler) Essex County CC Molly Craffey (Garnerville, N.Y./North Rockland) Edgewood CC Giovanni Piro (Lincoln Park/Don Bosco) North Jersey CC Pedro Chicas (North Bergen/St. Benedict's) Crestmont CC Brian Ramirez (North Plainfield/St. Benedict's) Baltusrol GC Luke Phillips (Red Bank/Christian Brothers) Rumson CC Lindsay Gilbert (Wall/Communications) Spring Lake GC
