Student leaders recognized during annual ES Summer Leadership Summit

GLENVIEW, Ill. – Evans Scholars from the University of Illinois Chicago and the University of Oregon were named the Program’s most outstanding graduating seniors during the annual Evans Scholars Summer Leadership Summit on Saturday, July 18, in Chicago, Illinois.

Bridget Danaher of UIC and Saul Galvan of Oregon were both honored as the 2026 Evans Scholars of the Year, the most prestigious title a student can earn within the Evans Scholars Program.

Bridget Danaher is from Burbank, Illinois, and caddied at The Beverly Country Club in Chicago. She graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago with a degree in computer science and a 3.9 GPA, earning Dean’s List honors all eight semesters. Danaher served as a three-term vice president of New Scholars of the UIC Evans Scholars chapter and worked for two years as a data structures teaching assistant. Danaher will begin her career at United Airlines as part of its Early Career Digital Leadership Program.

She says, “It is an incredible honor to be named Evans Scholar of the Year. Serving as vice president of New Scholars for three terms was an incredible passion of mine – I had the blessing of mentoring almost the entire chapter by the time I graduated, and I have my fellow UIC Scholars to thank for their trust in me. The Evans Scholarship has made the dreams of so many deserving Scholars possible.”

Saul Galvan is from Berwyn, Illinois, and caddied at Sankaty Head Golf Club in Nantucket, Massachusetts. He graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism and earned a 3.7 GPA. Galvan served as vice president of community engagement and president of the Oregon Evans Scholars chapter, and he was active on campus with the university news station and was head sports director for campus radio. Galvan plans to pursue a career in broadcasting.

He says, “This is an incredible honor to sum up my four years I’ve had at Oregon. Being an executive board member for our chapter was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I also take a lot of pride in being an Evans Scholar because of the unique community aspect of the scholarship and how it welcomes everyone in. I’m excited for what the future holds, and it’s an honor and privilege to now say I’m an Evans Scholar Alum.”

“We’re incredibly proud of how Bridget and Saul have represented the Evans Scholars Program,” said WGA President and CEO John Kaczkowski. “They displayed impressive academics and outstanding leadership within their Scholarship chapters and communities, and we look forward to supporting them in their future endeavors.”

The University of Notre Dame was also recognized for achieving the highest cumulative GPA, a 3.6, for the 2025-26 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 grant 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. In the 2025-26 academic year, a record 1,260 caddies were enrolled at 27 partner universities nationwide as Evans Scholars, and more than 12,870 caddies have graduated since the program began.