From Loopers to Leaders
Approximately 40 percent of all
Evans Scholars are first-generation
college students.
LIFELONG LESSONS
One young Virginia-based Evans Schol-
ar is Victor Fuentes of Alexandria, who
attends West Potomac High School and
works at Massachusetts’ Sankaty Head
Golf Club, which operates one of the last
remaining caddie camps in the world. A
first-generation American whose parents
work multiple jobs to support their family
of five, Fuentes contributes to his family’s
household through caddying.
A member of the National Honor Soci-
ety, Spanish Honor Society, varsity golf
team, orchestra and track and field team
at West Potomac High, Fuentes has been
awarded an Evans Scholarship to enroll at
Penn State University this fall.
“Caddying has taught me many import-
ant lessons: work hard, always give your
all, show that you care, and always be
polite and respectful to those you work
with and serve,” said Fuentes, who is a
VSGA member with The First Tee of Wash-
ington D.C. “These skills will be crucial to
life in college, as well as after college.”
“Caddying has taught me many
important lessons: work hard, always
give your all, show that you care, and
always be polite and respectful to
those you work with and serve.”
—Victor Fuentes
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V I R G I N I A G O L F E R | M AY / J U N E 2 0 1 8
vsga.org
But one of the things the Western Golf
Association’s (WGA) Chick Evans Schol-
arship program has believed and imple-
mented since 1930 is that youngsters who
work as caddies, or even enter the game of
golf as a caddie, learn skills that translate
into much more than lugging a bag or
finding lost balls in the thatch.
“We believe caddying is the best sum-
mer job for young people,” said WGA
President and CEO John Kaczkowski.
“Through caddying, young people learn
valuable life lessons, develop a strong
work ethic and money management skills,
and make professional contacts on the
golf course.”
“In addition to being a great way to
learn about the game,” Kaczkowski
added, “caddying provides life-changing
benefits that are instrumental to young
people’s individual growth.