Full college scholarships awarded to 104 Chicago-area student caddies

January 08, 2026

Full college scholarships awarded to 103 Chicago-area student caddies

New Scholars will begin school this fall

GLENVIEW, Ill. – More than 100 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 throughout 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 2026 as Evans Scholars, with awarded universities to be finalized in the spring. 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 1,260 caddies are enrolled at 27 universities across the country as Evans Scholars. More than 12,575 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the Program was founded by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr. in 1930.

“Each of these 103 students has earned this life-changing opportunity through their hard work, dedication and outstanding character,” said Kim Schriver, a WGA Director and Illinois state co-chair. “They represent the very best of the Evans Scholars Program, and we are proud to welcome them as they take the next step toward college and future leadership.”

Evans Scholar selection meeting interviews will continue nationwide through spring. When the 2025-26 selection meeting process is complete, an estimated 380 caddies from across the country are expected to be awarded the Evans Scholarship.

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 96 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 43,500 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 2026, the BMW Championship will be held at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, Missouri, from Aug. 18-23.

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
Jenna	LaVine	Aurora	Naperville CC	Metea Valley HS
Joey	MacDonald	Bartlett	Medinah CC	Bartlett HS
William	MacDonald	Bartlett	Medinah CC	Bartlett HS
Alexandra	Perez	Berwyn	Edgewood Valley CC	J Sterling Morton West HS
Alexander	Valdez	Berwyn	Riverside GC	Saint Patrick HS
Alisha	Walker	Berwyn	Riverside GC	Fenwick HS
Olubukola	Onimole	Blue Island	Beverly CC	Marist HS
Katie	Lam	Brookfield	La Grange CC	Lyons Township HS North
Jimena	Antunez Martinez	Chicago	Skokie CC	Episcopal HS
Myoe	Aung	Chicago	Bryn Mawr CC	Loyola Academy
Alfredo	Barron	Chicago	Park Ridge CC	De La Salle Institute
Emmett	Barron	Chicago	Ridge CC	Saint Ignatius College Prep
Stephani	Carrasquillo	Chicago	Bryn Mawr CC	Taft HS
Hector	Castillo	Chicago	Beverly CC	Marist HS
Martin	Chua	Chicago	Old Elm Club	UIC College Prep
Destiny	Cruz	Chicago	Briarwood CC	DePaul College Prep
Majé	Davis	Chicago	Briarwood CC	DePaul College Prep
Quinn	Flannery	Chicago	Beverly CC	Mount Carmel HS
Diego	Frasco	Chicago	Park Ridge CC	Lincoln Park HS
Alyssa	Gonzalez	Chicago	Park Ridge CC	Lane Tech College Prep HS
Drake	Jarrett-Stenzel	Chicago	Bryn Mawr CC	Chicago Waldorf School
Ewuraesi	Korankye	Chicago	River Forest CC	Francis W. Parker School
John	Kuruc	Chicago	Evanston GC	Saint Patrick HS
Gabriel	Laguna	Chicago	Park Ridge CC	Chicago Academy HS
Lizbeth	Lopez Martinez	Chicago	Ruth Lake CC	De La Salle Institute
Lilia	Lucero	Chicago	Onwentsia Club	Lane Tech College Prep HS
Joseph	Macis	Chicago	Beverly CC	Saint Rita of Cascia HS
Aye Mya	Mon	Chicago	River Forest CC	The Latin School of Chicago
Xochitl	Pantaleon	Chicago	Riverside GC	Cristo Rey Jesuit HS
Jessica	Parra-Fernandez	Chicago	Ruth Lake CC	Saint Ignatius College Prep
Vittorio	Pejovic	Chicago	Evanston GC	Lane Tech College Prep HS
Leah	Reynoso	Chicago	Skokie CC	Fenwick
Stephanie	Ruiz	Chicago	Indian Hill Club	Lane Tech College Prep HS
Nautica	Sandoval	Chicago	Evanston GC	UIC College Prep
Jenessa	Velazquez	Chicago	Skokie CC	Holy Trinity HS
Kathleen	Warner	Chicago	Bryn Mawr CC	Lane Tech College Prep HS
Ava	Avila	Cicero	Medinah CC	Saint Ignatius College Prep
Gerardo	Gil	Cicero	Briarwood CC	Fenwick HS
Diego	Ortiz	Cicero	Merit Club	Chicago Hope Academy
Victoria	Wysocki	Darien	Butterfield CC	Hinsdale South HS
David	Todorov	Deerfield	Twin Orchard CC	Adlai E Stevenson HS
Theodore	Pappas	Downers Grove	Butterfield CC	Downers Grove North HS
Christy	Pozen	Elmhurst	River Forest CC	York Community HS
Abby	Bojan	Frankfort	Prestwick CC	Lincoln-Way East HS
Jazmine	Carbajal	Frankfort	Prestwick CC	Lincoln-Way East HS
Antonio	Herrera	Franklin Park	River Forest CC	East Leyden HS
Landon	Fanale	Geneva	Black Sheep GC	Geneva Community HS
Gabrielle	Bertrand	Glen Ellyn	Glen Oak CC	Glenbard West HS
Jaden	Ahn	Glenview	Lake Shore CC	Glenbrook North HS
Harrison	Kaufman	Gurnee	Ivanhoe Club	Warren Township HS
Sofia	Lozano	Gurnee	Conway Farms GC	Warren Township HS
Daniel	Lentz	Hawthorn Woods	Twin Orchard CC	Adlai E. Stevenson HS
Aleksandra	Malak	Hoffman Estates	Inverness GC	William Fremd HS
Caylum	Ganshirt	Homewood	Idlewild CC	Homewood-Flossmoor HS
Jenna	Remke	Johnsburg	McHenry GC	Marian Central Catholic HS
Terrance	Carr	La Grange	La Grange CC	Lyons Township HS North Campus
Gustavo	Mojarro	LaGrange	Chicago Highlands Club	Lyons Township HS North
Ryan	Faiz	Libertyville	Merit Club	Libertyville HS
Ryan	Alsobrook	Lombard	Glen Oak CC	Glenbard East HS
Alexander	Schroeder	Manhattan	Ridge CC	Lincoln-Way West HS
Parker	Bahnsen	McHenry	McHenry GC	McHenry West HS
Mohamed	El-Hindi	Melrose Park	River Forest CC	West Leyden HS
Andrew	Weaver	Mundelein	Ivanhoe Club	Mundelein HS
Bexley	Howard	Naperville	Naperville CC	Naperville Central HS
Austin	Seglem	New Lenox	Prestwick CC	Lincoln-Way West HS
Emily	Okon	Niles	Park Ridge CC	Niles West HS
Daniel	Bereliani	Northbrook	Rolling Green CC	Glenbrook South HS
Joseph	Farrell	Oak Forest	Midlothian CC	Oak Forest HS
Benicio	Conejo	Oak Lawn	Beverly CC	Saint Laurence HS
Nolan	Leonard	Oak Lawn	Ridge CC	Brother Rice HS
Solanus	Daley	Oak Park	Oak Park CC	Fenwick HS
Matthew	Hardek	Orland Park	Crystal Tree Golf & CC	Carl Sandburg HS
Christopher	Sawic	Orland Park	Crystal Tree Golf & CC	Carl Sandburg HS
Aidan	Carl	Palatine	Inverness GC	William Fremd HS
Ethan	Phillips	Palos Park	Edgewood Valley CC	Amos Alonzo Stagg HS
Jasper	Wills	Palos Park	Crystal Tree Golf & CC	Amos Alonzo Stagg HS
Yahir	Garcia	Park City	Old Elm Club	Warren Township HS
Delilah	Gonzalez	Park Forest	Olympia Fields CC	Crete-Monee HS
Ryan	Conway	Park Ridge	Park Ridge CC	Maine South HS
Michael	Nelson	Park Ridge	Park Ridge CC	Maine South HS
Yoselin	Martinez Librado	Posen	Edgewood Valley CC	Bremen HS
Fatima	Vicencio	Posen	Midlothian CC	Bremen HS
John	Cox	River Forest	Oak Park CC	Fenwick HS
Katharine	Cox	River Forest	Oak Park CC	Fenwick HS
Madeleine	Cox	River Forest	Oak Park CC	Fenwick HS
Joseph	O'Bryan	Riverside	Riverside GC	Fenwick HS
Maya	Hernandez	Round Lake	Biltmore CC	Carmel Catholic HS
Maya	Malaczek	Round Lake	Ivanhoe Club	Grayslake Central HS
Nayeli	Rivera	Round Lake	Barrington Hills CC	Resurrection College Prep HS
Patrick	Kresanic	Schaumburg	Medinah CC	James B. Conant HS
Fargol	Fereydouni	Skokie	Skokie CC	Niles West HS
Anjalee	Fernando	Skokie	Evanston GC	Loyola Academy
Scarlet	Enright	South Elgin	St. Charles CC	Saint Edward Central Catholic HS
Dominic	Pena	Steger	Flossmoor GC	Marian Catholic HS
Giuseppe	Goebel	Tinley Park	Olympia Fields CC	Lincoln-Way East HS
Jadyn	Pilafas	Villa Park	Butterfield CC	Willowbrook HS
Alexa	Lopez	Wauconda	Ivanhoe Club	Wauconda HS
Matthew	Canda	Waukegan	Old Elm Club	Waukegan HS
Americo	Garza	Waukegan	Glen Flora CC	Cristo Rey Saint Martin College Prep
Lizbet	Montes	Waukegan	Ivanhoe Club	Cristo Rey Saint Martin College Prep
Joseph	Edgar	West Chicago	St. Charles CC	Saint Charles East HS
Aleksandra	Sajic	Willow Springs	Edgewood Valley CC	Lyons Township HS North
Lillian	Davy	Willowbrook	Edgewood Valley CC	Hinsdale South HS
Braedon	Schwanke	Woodstock	Crystal Lake CC	Woodstock HS