Joanna Zahra thrilled to be Evans Scholar
Walled Lake Central student headed to U-M
Joanna Zahra, a senior at Walled Lake Central, knew she wanted to follow in her brother Andrew’s footsteps to win an Evans Scholarship.
“I started caddying when I was 12, my brother is older and went before me. I’ve always looked up to that,’’ Zahra said. “I thought one day I’m going to try to get the Evans, that’s been my dream for so many years and I finally got it.’’
After spending the last three summers as a caddie at Orchard Lake Country Club, Zahra is one of 31 high school seniors in Michigan who were awarded Evans Scholarships. The college scholarships, which are valued at more $120,000 over four years, are based on a strong caddie record; excellent academics; demonstrated financial need; and outstanding character.
“We both wanted to go to Michigan which is extremely expensive. The Evan Scholarship meant that I got to go to the school I want, to pursue a strong degree and have more opportunities,’’ Zahra said.
Currently she has been accepted into the University of Michigan’s college of literature, science and the arts.
But she’s thinking about switching to Michigan’s Ross School of Business to study marketing.
She credits the support of the members at Orchard Lake for helping her win the scholarship.
“All the members there, and everybody who is involved in the caddie program, is super supportive of the Evans Scholar program. There are a ton of Par Club members, they give donations. Everybody wanted to help by writing me a (recommendation) letter and giving me tips on going about applying for a scholarship,’’ Zahra said. “They really wanted to expand the program the last couple years. They’ve made a big deal to keep pushing kids to apply for it, work hard and continue caddying.’’
When she started as a caddie she had never stepped foot on a golf
course or carried a golf bag. She said her brother helped her out tremendously.
She said she got used to carrying the bags after doing it every day. Last summer she caddied about 60 loops.
Like other seniors, she has finished her high school career with online classes since March. That means no graduation, no prom, no hanging out with friends.
“I know me and a lot of my friends are all very disappointed. There’s a lot of milestones like graduation and prom, all these things, but we understand there’s a lot of people who are suffering worse than us,’’ Zahra said. “Obviously we want to do our part and stay home, but it’s kind of sad because we looked forward to this moment all life long.’’