Other summer jobs might not lead to a full ride scholarship. But for golf caddies, the Chick Evans scholarship offers just that and more.
The Evans Scholars Foundation is a scholarship program offered to golf caddies across the United States. The scholarship is open to all golf caddies planning to complete an undergraduate education. The scholarship covers full tuition and room and board for all four years of undergraduate education. Here at Marquette University, the Evans Scholars can be found inside the Evans house, located on Wells Street. As part of the scholarship requirements, scholars are required to live in this house for all four years.
“Living in the house is just a great opportunity to build connections,” Gabriella Cavalieri, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, said. “Family, community. Everyone in this house gets along super well.”
Olman Chaheine, a junior in the College of Business Administration, also talked about how important community is to him. He appreciates how welcoming and open everyone in the house is. Doors are always open and peers are always interested in hearing about how one another is doing. Several of the scholars find that the supportive community is really valuable.
“They are really rooting for you, they try to help as much as they can. You can always reach out to anyone,” Nelson Benitez, a first-year in the College of Arts & Sciences, said.
As a first-year, Benitez said that he has found the community really helpful through his transition to college. New scholars get the opportunity to choose and work with a mentor throughout the year. The mentors are older scholars and are typically upper-level students.
Beyond the community within their house, the scholars hold several annual events throughout the year that connect them to the larger Milwaukee and global community. Chaheine said some of his favorite events include various fundraisers for cancer research, with activities ranging from a 5k run/walk to a pool tournament.
“To see the house coming together for such an event, like raising breast cancer awareness, I think is impactful. It’s awesome for me to be a part of that and for people to experience that,” Chaheine said.
Sharp said one of her favorite service projects that the house has done was making sandwiches and walking them down to a local men’s rescue center. Chaheine said when choosing what service to get involved with, the scholars look at what is a relevant issue in both Milwaukee and the world.
“It’s important to know the respect of giving back. If you don’t give back, there’s no sense of saying ‘thank you,’” Ellen Sharp, a senior in the College of Eduation, said.
New scholars, such as Benitez and Cavalieri, find that the service events are also great team building activities for them. They said that all the house members are encouraged to participate in the events.
Working as a caddy teaches young people how to communicate in a professional manner, Sharp said. She said that because she had that experience in high school, she knew how to conduct herself in professional interviews and interactions later on.
Caddying is also an excellent networking opportunity, Clay Lanclur, a senior in the College of Arts & Sciences, said. He said that he still keeps his connections with former golfers he used to caddy for and that many of them have talked with him about potential jobs after college.
Many of the scholars said that their experience as a caddy prepared them well for the work ethic that is required to succeed in college and beyond.
“I was definitely inspired to really work hard and push myself to be successful,” Cavalieri said. “I have a lot to look forward to now.”
This story was written by Kiley Brockway. She can be contacted at [email protected]
