Westfield High School senior Nicole Neuenschwander turned a passion for caddying into a full scholarship.
Neuenschwander, nominated by Prairie View Golf Club, and fellow WHS senior Jacob Espey, nominated by Wood Wind Golf Club, recently received Evans Scholarships from the Western Golf Association. They are among 14 Indiana students to receive a full housing and tuition college grant offered to golf caddies. The Evans Scholarship is valued at an estimated $120,000 over four years.
“I love so many things about my job,” Neuenschwander said. “Being able to work outside on such a beautiful course is really a blessing. Not to mention getting to make connections with all the golfers and other workers at the course. (Prairie View golf pros) are Jake Peacock and Ben Gavin are such amazing people. They have been there with me through all of it and have truly made this a life-changing experience.”
Espey plans to major in computer science at Purdue. Neuenschwander will major in speech and hearing sciences at Indiana University. Both began caddying the summer after their freshman year.
“This scholarship is a great opportunity to be a part of a community and be surrounded by people who, like myself, have taken their college experience and career into their own hands,” Neuenschwander said. “This scholarship has granted me, and many others, opportunities that not every kid is given and I am so grateful for the whole experience, even though my life as an Evans Scholar has only just begun.”
Espey enjoys the people he has met as well.
“I really like the connections I’ve made with business people,” Espey said. “I’ve learned a lot from the experiences they would share with me.”
Espey played golf for the Westfield Middle School team in seventh and eighth grade and still golfs occasionally.
“I feel like I’ll never really know the value because I’ll never have to pay the student loans, room and board and stuff like that,” Espey said.
