December 19, 2024

83 Chicago-area student caddies awarded full college scholarships

New Scholars will begin school next fall

GLENVIEW, Ill. – Eighty-three students from the Chicago area have been awarded the Evans Scholarship — a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies — following selection meeting interviews held across the area, including at Skokie Country Club in Glencoe, in November and December. They are among the first group of awarded recipients.

Each caddie has a unique story that reflects the scholarship’s four selection criteria: a strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need and outstanding character.

They will begin college in the fall of 2025 as Evans Scholars, with awarded universities to be finalized in March. The Evans Scholarship is valued at more than $125,000 over four years. Those awarded are listed below.

The Western Golf Association (WGA), headquartered in Glenview, Illinois, oversees the Evans Scholars Program, one of golf’s favorite charities and the nation’s largest scholarship program for caddies.

Currently, a record 1,190 caddies are enrolled at 24 universities across the country as Evans Scholars. More than 12,285 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the Program was founded by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr. in 1930.

“Since our founding, our Program has changed the lives of caddies who have proven their dedication in the classroom, on the golf course and in their communities,” said WGA Chairman Steve Colnitis. “We are proud to welcome this exceptional group to the Evans Scholars family.”

Evans Scholar selection meeting interviews will continue nationwide through the winter. When the 2024-25 selection meeting process is complete, an estimated 360 caddies from across the country are expected to be awarded the Evans Scholarship.

Some newly awarded Evans Scholars participated in the Caddie Academy, a special summer program run by the WGA that provides caddie opportunities to promising high school students. With seven chapters nationwide — including two in the Chicago area — the program offers students a chance to caddie each day, earn money, meet role models and learn valuable life lessons on the golf course. After three summers, participants become eligible to apply for the Evans Scholarship.

“We are thrilled for all our recently awarded Evans Scholars, and we look forward to the great things they will accomplish at universities across the country beginning this fall,” said WGA President and CEO John Kaczkowski.

Evans Scholars have a cumulative GPA of 3.3 and a 98 percent graduation rate. An estimated 40 percent are first-generation college students, and 95 percent are employed or enrolled in graduate school within six months of graduating.

Funds for the Evans Scholarship come mostly from contributions by more than 36,000 supporters across the country, who are members of the Evans Scholars Par Club program. Evans Scholars Alumni donate more than $15 million annually, and all proceeds from the BMW Championship, the penultimate PGA TOUR Playoff event in the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup competition, benefit the Evans Scholars Foundation. In 2025, the BMW Championship will be held at Caves Valley Golf Club near Baltimore, Maryland, from Aug. 12-17.

Below is a full list of recent winners with awarded universities to be finalized by spring.

First Name	Last Name	Hometown	Sponsoring Club	High School
Mateo Rafael	Barba	Antioch	Merit Club	Antioch Community HS
Liliana	De La Torre	Berwyn	Riverside Golf Club	Fenwick HS
Valerie	Ochoa	Berwyn	Riverside Golf Club	J Sterling Morton West HS
Antonia	Nunamaker	Bloomingdale	Medinah CC	Glenbard East HS
Holden	Boone	Cary	Barrington Hills CC	Cary-Grove Community HS
Semeon	Alazar	Chicago	Lake Shore CC	Saint Ignatius College Prep
Richelle	Asamoah	Chicago	Medinah CC	Saint Ignatius College Prep
Eric	Atkins*	Chicago	North Shore CC	Ogden International School of Chicago
Janessa	Centeno*	Chicago	Glen Club	Chicago Hope Academy
Liberty	Cunningham*	Chicago	Westmoreland CC	Saint Ignatius College Prep
Patrick	Flannery	Chicago	Beverly CC	Brother Rice HS
Cassandra	Garcia	Chicago	Glen Oak CC	Jones College Prep HS
Gabriel	Gomez*	Chicago	Park Ridge CC	John Hancock College Preparatory HS
Jose	Hernandez	Chicago	Skokie CC	Saint Laurence HS
Irvin	Hernandez	Chicago	Sunset Ridge CC	Saint Laurence HS
Nevaeh	Jean-Pierre*	Chicago	Exmoor CC	Jones College Prep
Noah	Landaverde	Chicago	Sunset Ridge CC	De La Salle Institute
Jocelyn	Lara	Chicago	Oak Park CC	Har-Ber HS
Zariyah	Lemon	Chicago	La Grange CC	Saint Laurence HS
Erika	Mendez*	Chicago	Twin Orchard CC	Von Steuben Metropolitan Science Center
Arturo	Mendoza	Chicago	Shoreacres	Saint Laurence HS
Alyssa	Meyer	Chicago	Bryn Mawr CC	Taft HS
Jack	Nelson	Chicago	Ridgemoor CC	Saint Patrick HS
Miguelange	Paez	Chicago	Skokie CC	Deerfield Academy (MA)
Reganne	Reardon	Chicago	Beverly CC	Saint Ignatius College Prep
Camilla	Ruelas*	Chicago	Onwentsia Club	Fenwick HS
Dyana	Santoyo*	Chicago	Onwentsia Club	Woodlands Academy
Camden	Wilson	Chicago	Ridge CC	Brother Rice HS
Caitlin	O'Brien	Chicago Ridge	Midlothian CC	Marist HS
Temuujin	Enkhbayar	Des Plaines	Glen View Club	Maine East HS
Colin	Finn	Downers Grove	Hinsdale Golf Club	Downers Grove North HS
Chloe	Cummins	Elmhurst	River Forest CC	Chesterton Academy of The Holy Family
Matthew	Hamblin	Elmhurst	River Forest CC	York Community HS
Mikenna	Doyle	Elmwood Park	Oak Park CC	Resurrection College Prep HS
Michelle	Sapeta	Elmwood Park	Oak Park CC	Elmwood Park HS
Livia	Sina	Elmwood Park	Oak Park CC	Elmwood Park HS
Amelia	Schuman	Evanston	Westmoreland CC	Evanston Township HS
James	Crane	Evergreen Park	Ridge CC	Brother Rice HS
Sarina	Nayden	Frankfort	Prestwick CC	Lincoln-Way East HS
Natalie	Ramirez	Glenview	Evanston Golf Club	Glenbrook South HS
Alexander	Wessel	Glenview	Sunset Ridge CC	Glenbrook South HS
Caleb	Bicket	Gurnee	Knollwood Club	Warren Township HS
Sherman	Flores	Gurnee	Indian Hill Club	Warren Township HS
James	Riemer	Gurnee	Merit Club	Warren Township HS
Damian	Kulman	Hickory Hills	Ruth Lake CC	Amos Alonzo Stagg HS
Shane	Bruin	Homer Glen	Edgewood Valley CC	Providence Catholic HS
Clare	Ruddy	Homer Glen	Edgewood Valley CC	Providence Catholic HS
John	Harrington	La Grange	Chicago Highlands Club	Saint Patrick HS
Allan	Lavrov	Lake Zurich	Twin Orchard CC	Lake Zurich HS
Lilyan	Ryan	Lemont	Edgewood Valley CC	Lemont HS
Peter	Widhalm	McHenry	McHenry CC	Chesterton Academy
Grace	Miceli	Melrose Park	Oak Park CC	Saint Ignatius College Prep
Nathan	Michaels	Mokena	Olympia Fields CC	Lincoln-Way Central HS
Luke	Bubacz	Monee	Olympia Fields CC	Marian Catholic HS
Tabraik	Hamid	Morton Grove	Westmoreland CC	Niles North HS
Nicholas	Selimos	Mundelein	Ivanhoe Club	Mundelein HS
Paul	Harkenrider	Munster, IN	Olympia Fields CC	Munster HS
Erin	Arnold	Naperville	Cress Creek CC	Naperville North HS
Peter	Schneider	Naperville	Naperville CC	Saint Francis HS
Jose	Fragoso	Northlake	River Forest CC	West Leyden HS
Aiden	Kelly	Oak Forest	Midlothian CC	Oak Forest HS
Ethan	Nutile	Oak Forest	Midlothian CC	Oak Forest HS
Riley	Kelly	Orland Park	Beverly CC	Carl Sandburg HS
Greg	Benke	Palos Hills	Ruth Lake CC	Amos Alonzo Stagg HS
Victorio	Basile	Palos Park	Crystal Tree Golf & CC	Brother Rice HS
Kate	Dunleavy	Park Ridge	Park Ridge CC	Maine South HS
Anthony	Rodriguez	Phoenix	Olympia Fields CC	Thornton Township HS
Camila	Herrera	Plainfield	Northmoor CC	Plainfield Central HS
Olivia	Strozak	Prospect Heights	Ravinia Green CC	Saint Viator HS
Kacper	Kwela	River Grove	Ridgemoor CC	Saint Patrick HS
Bryana	Garcia	Roselle	Medinah CC	Lake Park HS
Ashlyn	Bean	Round Lake	Ivanhoe Club	Grayslake Central HS
Philippe	Gonzalez	Round Lake	Kemper Lakes Golf Club	Carmel Catholic HS
Hawa	Hashimi	Skokie	Evanston Golf Club	Niles North HS
Sophie	Morawski	Sleepy Hollow	Biltmore CC	Dundee-Crown HS
Josue	Sandoval	Vernon Hills	Skokie CC	Vernon Hills HS
Yeleyni	Ortega*	Waukegan	Ivanhoe Club	Cristo Rey St. Martin College Prep
Alan	Aguilar	Wheeling	Skokie CC	Wheeling HS
Marina	Ilic	Willow Springs	Edgewood Valley CC	Argo Community HS
Grace	Panice	Willowbrook	Ruth Lake CC	Hinsdale Central HS
Trey	Neuhart	Woodstock	Crystal Lake CC	Woodstock HS
Hailey	Peterson	Woodstock	Bull Valley Golf Club	Woodstock HS
Finndan	Pivnicka	Woodstock	Bull Valley Golf Club	Marian Central Catholic HS