Michigan Golf Journal March 2020

Michigan Golf Journal Evans Scholars 1,010 caddies are enrolled in 18 universities across the nation as Evans Scholars, and more than 11,050 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars since the program was founded by famed Chicago amateur golfer Charles “Chick” Evans Jr. Award winners are those who show great character and hard work as a caddy, who excel in their studies and demonstrated great need-based funding. Kevin Ladley of Southfield was raised by a single mother and adopted after leaving his home country of China when he was young. He maintained a near 4.0 GPA while attending Trenton High School and plans to use the Evans Scholarship toward earning his undergraduate degree in engineering. “I started caddying the summer after 7th grade and loved the job,” he said. “My inspiration for earning the Evans Scholarship is my mother who works two jobs to support me and all of my extracurricular activities…Evans scholars are one big family. I know that expectations are high with becoming an Evans Scholar, but I look forward to the challenge and all that comes with it.” Hamdan was raised in Ann Arbor until her parents split and she moved to Novi at age 14. “I was scared I was too late; too late to make any friends. Too late to join any extracurriculars. And too late to find my place,” she wrote. “Nevertheless, if there was one thing I could control, it was going to be what I was going to make of my life in Novi. That summer I started caddying at Walnut Creek Country.” “Being chosen as a finalist and then a recipient of the scholarship not only reinforces all my hard work for the past four years, but also the saying that you should never give up. In the moment, you might not want to wake up at 6am, walk around a golf course with a 30-pound bag on your back, and interact with other caddies and members. However, the rewards and benefits are so much greater than the costs in the long run.” Devian Johnson Kevin Ladley Jade Hamdan