Named Program's most outstanding graduating seniors
Glenview, Ill. – Evans Scholars from the University of Wisconsin and University of Illinois were named the Program’s most outstanding graduating seniors during the Evans Scholars Foundation’s annual summer leadership summit on Saturday, July 20, in Northbrook, Illinois.
Joe Noeske of Wisconsin and Regan Toole of Illinois were honored as the 2024 Evans Scholars of the Year, the most prestigious title a student can earn within the Evans Scholars Program.
Joe Noeske is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and caddied at Blue Mound Golf & Country Club in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a degree in biology and earned a 3.9 GPA. Noeske served as president of the Wisconsin Evans Scholars chapter and worked as a research assistant at the UW McMahon Aquatic Microbiology Lab. Noeske plans to pursue a doctorate in marine biology.
He says, “I’m thankful for everyone who gives caddies like me a chance. The Evans Scholarship is special for so many reasons, and for me, the community in the Scholarship House is at the top of the list. Being an Evans Scholar has transformed my life.”
Regan Toole is from Elmhurst, Illinois, and caddied at Hinsdale Golf Club in Clarendon Hills, Illinois. She graduated with a degree in community health and earned a 4.0 GPA. Toole achieved highest university honors and was inducted into the Senior 100 Honorary, which recognizes the 100 most outstanding seniors across the university. Toole served as vice president of communications of the University of Illinois Evans Scholars chapter and was active on campus as an Illinois Student Admissions Representative and Illini Service Dogs Trainer, and as part of the Phi Chi Theta Professional Business Fraternity. She has begun her career as a philanthropy coordinator at Northwestern Medicine’s Northwestern Memorial Foundation in Chicago.
She says, “I am eternally thankful to have received such a life-changing gift and deeply appreciate its impact on me and my family. Without the Evans Scholarship, I wouldn’t have met my lifelong friends or experienced the incredible opportunities and memorable moments of college.”
“We are extremely proud of everything our Evans Scholars of the Year have accomplished,” said WGA President and CEO John Kaczkowski. “Joe and Regan demonstrated exceptional academic excellence and outstanding leadership on campus and in their communities, and we look forward to seeing what they will achieve in the next chapter of their journeys.”
Northwestern University was also recognized for achieving the highest cumulative GPA, a 3.5 for the 2023-24 school year, across all the Program’s Scholarship chapters. They were awarded the James E. Moore Scholarship Trophy for academic excellence. The trophy has been presented annually since 1962 to honor the Evans Scholarship chapter earning the highest cumulative GPA for the previous school year.
Evans Scholars are caddies who have earned a full, four-year tuition and housing scholarship based on their strong caddie record, excellent academics, financial need and outstanding character. The Evans Scholars Program has been run by the Western Golf Association since its founding in 1930. This fall, a record 1,190 caddies will be enrolled at 24 partner universities nationwide as Evans Scholars, and more than 12,200 caddies have graduated since the program began.