5 LA Students Win $125K Scholarships by Learning to Caddy

Five teenagers from Los Angeles are heading to college tuition-free after discovering an unusual path to their futures: caddying at golf courses.

Amaia Diaz and Marley Gomez from St. Mary's Academy, Joel Arriaga Lopez and Sara Mejia from Compton Early College High, and Cesar Sierra from Salesian each earned Evans Scholarships this year. The prestigious awards cover full tuition and housing for four years, valued at more than $125,000 per student.

The Western Golf Association Caddie Academy trained these students, teaching them not just how to carry golf bags but how to build character on the green. Students learned discipline, patience, and responsibility while working alongside golfers. All five caddied in Illinois during their summer training, gaining real-world experience while developing skills that translated far beyond the golf course.

"Caddying taught me discipline, patience and responsibility," Sierra said, summarizing what thousands of students have discovered through this program.

To qualify, students had to demonstrate four key qualities: a strong caddie record, outstanding academics, financial need, and exceptional character. The criteria ensure scholarships reach dedicated young people who will make the most of their opportunity.

The Ripple Effect

The impact stretches far beyond these five students. A record 1,260 caddies currently attend 27 universities through the Evans Scholarship program. Since 1930, more than 12,000 caddies have graduated as Evans Scholars, many becoming the first in their families to attend college.

The program transforms how students see themselves and their possibilities. What starts as a summer job carrying golf clubs becomes a pathway to degrees in medicine, engineering, business, and countless other fields. Communities benefit when talented young people get chances they might never have otherwise received.

For students in areas like Compton, where college costs can feel insurmountable, programs like this open doors that seemed permanently closed. The scholarship removes not just financial barriers but psychological ones, showing teenagers that unconventional paths can lead to extraordinary destinations.

These five students will join a network of Evans Scholars who support each other throughout college and beyond, creating lasting connections that extend opportunity even further.

Hard work on the golf course just changed five lives forever.