Going off to college is coming up for many of us seniors and for one, Nikki Blizzard this means going to CU Boulder. At the beginning of the year Blizzard applied to one scholarship that would give her a full ride. While dealing with various college applications she ended up winning this full ride scholarship though the Evans Scholar Program.

This program was originated through Charles “Chick” Evans, an amateur golfer. His inspiration to create the scholarship came when he wanted to go to college, so he decided to create this scholarship for caddies. The scholarship is affiliated with 14 colleges around America. Nikki came across this scholarship when she was on the girls’ varsity golf team during her sophomore year. During that summer she worked at the Roaring Fork Club and continued to work at the Maroon Creek Club the summer of her junior year. The required caddie record is a minimum of 50 loops. The job of caddying has taught Blizzard many things about the game, but also herself.

“Caddying for two years has taught me so much more than I already knew about the game. Working with experienced caddies has taught me how to excel in being the best I can be on the course. Being one of the only two female caddies working predominantly with men has given me the confidence that I needed in my social skills, which has boosted my self-esteem,” Blizzard said.

The process of the application, like any scholarship, is hard to manage. There were multiple stages of interviews for the Evans Scholar Program and the WGA (Western Golf Association). The board narrows the applicants down to 22 semi finals. After another interview, 11 are chosen as finalists. The finalists were required to go to the Colorado Golf Club in Denver, where each scholar answers questions in front of a group of two-hundred committee affiliates within the ESP and the WGA. If all goes well with the final interview, school recipients are notified a week later with the news.

“The application process was long, detailed, and stressful! Blizzard said. There were several essays with specific prompts to write about. The financial side was also intense and time consuming. Not to mention I needed to apply and get admitted to the University of Colorado Boulder before I was granted the scholarship.”

In late January Blizzard received news that she won the scholarship. The award is given to 250 applicants nationwide and Blizzard was one of eleven in the state of Colorado. The last award from Aspen was given two years ago to Audrey Sichel. As soon as she received the scholarship she couldn’t contain her excitement.

Blizzard said, “I started screaming with excitement. My Mom and I continued to read the letter together and we could not stop hugging each other. What an amazing feeling of relief and accomplishment all in one. I was so grateful and felt so lucky because this was the first win I ever had.”