While graduation may seem very far in the future, many seniors are already preparing for life after Nazareth. Second semester of your senior year is a very exciting, but also a nerve-racking time in your high school career. Seniors start receiving letters back from scholarships and universities during the middle of second semester. Cassandra Marquez, however, learned she got the Chick Evans Scholarship three weeks before first semester midterms.

The Chick Evans Scholarship is a full-tuition and housing college scholarship for golf caddies that is renewable for up to four years. Applications are accepted during the fall of a student’s senior year of high school and are evaluated by the Scholarship Committee on strong caddie record, excellent academics, demonstrated financial need, and outstanding character and leadership.

Cassandra describes, “The process was long but rewarding. Caddying was fun for me because of the many people that I met, both golfers and caddies, the relationships that I made, and the fun times on the golf course. Caddying was a part of the process and so if sometimes I found it hard, I would remind myself what my goal was: the Chick Evans Scholarship. The application was similar to that of a college application with the exception of the caddy information.”

With all the hard work of caddying and the application process, Cassandra had one final step toward receiving her scholarship. She had to go through an intense interview process. Cassandra stood in front of 80 men and women, answering questions about herself and her application. She compares her interview to that of a sports conference. After all her hard work, Cassandra was able to finally rest when she received her letter.

After learning she received the scholarship, she said her “initial reaction was shock.”

“I cried and had to pinch myself several times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. The day after I received the letter, I even had to ask my mom if it was a dream!”

Through all this shock, Cassandra was truly happy and excited for the many opportunities this opens. She stated she was most excited about the opportunity to attend the school of her dreams with a support system that would help her achieve her dreams. The Chick Evans Scholarship can surely change lives. When asked what this scholarship meant to her, Cassandra stated, “This scholarship means so much for me. It means the opportunity to attend an amazing university without the worry of the financial aspect of it. The Evans scholarship has given me the opportunity to make my dreams come true and for that I am forever grateful.” This is truly an amazing start to the rest of her senior year at Nazareth.

Cassandra is very hopeful for her future. She plans on attending the University of Colorado, Boulder and majoring in integrative physiology. Cassandra’s story is a remarkable one, but not an impossible one. Her story demonstrates that anything can happen with hard work, determination, and a caring attitude.

She suggests, “For others who would like to pursue the Evans Scholarship, I’d advise to caddy as often as possible and always caddy with a positive attitude because our attitude can sometimes affect the golfers. Have fun caddying and always give 110% into what you’re doing.”