Nearly 100 students will participate in 11th summer
Glenview, Ill. – The Western Golf Association’s (WGA) Caddie Academy has returned for its 11th summer, with nearly 100 female high school students across the country selected to take part in the unique summer work program that began June 18.
Caddie Academy provides work opportunities to promising high school students from across the country who ultimately hope to pursue the Evans Scholarship – a full tuition and housing grant to college.
“We are excited about the return of our Chicago chapter, which has grown from an inaugural group of 12 caddies in 2012 – to nearly 100 participants today,” says Kara Chin, director of Caddie Academy and Scholarships at the WGA. “This special summer program allows participants to earn money, meet role models and learn important life lessons – including perseverance, communication and financial management skills.”
Caddie Academy participants, who all have financial need and strong academics, are selected to take part in the program during their freshman year of high school. After successfully completing three summers on the golf course, they become eligible to apply for the Evans Scholarship.
In the Chicago chapter, students live together for seven weeks at Woodlands Academy of the Sacred Heart in Lake Forest, while caddying at one of 15 participating clubs along Chicago’s North Shore.
Participating clubs include Briarwood Country Club, Conway Farms Golf Club, Evanston Golf Club, Exmoor Country Club, The Glen Club, Glen View Club, Indian Hill Club, Ivanhoe Club, Knollwood Club, Lake Shore Country Club, Northmoor Country Club, Onwentsia Club, Skokie Country Club, Briarwood Country Club and Westmoreland Country Club.
In 2022, more than 155 girls and boys will participate in the Caddie Academy across the country. The Chicago chapter is the first, with additional chapters in State College, Pennsylvania, Seattle and Minneapolis.
A separate Chicago-area chapter, the Caddie Academy for boys, is returning for its sixth summer with 30 male high school students caddying at one of four participating clubs. Participants live together for seven weeks at the Northwestern University Evans Scholars Scholarship House in Evanston. Participating clubs include North Shore Country Club, Old Elm Golf Club, Park Ridge Country Club and Sunset Ridge Country Club.
More than 100 Caddie Academy alumni have gone to earn the Evans Scholarship. For more information on the WGA Caddie Academy, please visit www.wgacaddieacademy.org.