A Preston High School senior was recently awarded with the prestigious Evans Scholarship.
Madeleine Giannini, a Throggs Neck resident, has won a full ride to Purdue University through the scholarship foundation specifically for golf caddies, run through the Western Golf Association.
The scholarship, awarded on a strong caddie record, excellent academics, financial needs and outstanding character, was a perfect fit for Giannini, who spent the summer caddying at the Greenwich Country Club in Connecticut.
The job appealed to Giannini, who plays soccer, basketball, and softball during the school year.
“I like being outside, and I like being active,” said Giannini.
She also enjoyed meeting new people through the job, and said that she learned about Purdue University from someone she caddied for.
When she visited the school, she found it to be a perfect match, with both the academic reputation and sports scene she was seeking.
When she arrives at Purdue, Giannini plans to study civil engineering. She said she was always attracted to math and science, and she decided on her future career after an engineering program at Manhattan College this summer.
In addition to her sports and school work, Giannini is also Preston’s senior class president and is heavily involved in the school’s student government.
“I like being busy,” she said.
When she learned she had received an Evans Scholarship, Giannini said she was shocked and then thrilled.
“It means the world to me,” she said. “It proves that all my hard work, and all my parents’ hard work has really paid off.”
She said she’s lucky that the scholarship, which covers tuition and provides housing for four years, will allow her to graduate with out the financial burden of debt.
“I’m extremely fortunate to have this,” said Giannini.
She hopes to encourage other students to look in to the scholarship foundation, which currently has 870 caddies enrolled in 18 universities and is planning to expand the program across the country, with a goal of sending more than 1,000 caddies to college annually by 2020.
“I want to be an example and spread the Evans Legacy to the East Coast,” she said.
