WHERE ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING?

“I am currently a nurse at Massachusetts General Hospital working specifically in the Lunder Building, assigned to the Neurology Unit. I started in November of 2019 and after the traditional three month ‘orientation’ where I shadow a nurse, I started normal full-time schedule in February of 2020.”

HOW HAS THE PANDEMIC AFFECTED YOUR DAILY LIFE IN THE HOSPITAL?

“Frankly, starting when I did was extremely nerve-wracking as the entire hospital faced drastic changes mere weeks after I began my routine. The floors above and below me were assigned to become COVID ICU, and we handled the overflow from the traditional patients those floors would tend to. In all honesty, even as healthcare workers we were nervous and unsure what the virus was or how safe we were, and initially we felt the lack of necessary tests and PPE. It took a few weeks for proper guidelines and consistent PPE to be available, and those weeks were uneasy and somewhat chaotic around the hospital. At first, many of my normal coworkers were assigned to ‘ float’ to other floors to manage the COVID patients, leaving our normal team a bit short staffed. Just as we were getting used to the ‘new normal’ on our floor, we learned we would need to be prepared for our floor to become an ICU ahead of the second spike during the holiday season, which meant we needed ICU training. The time from November through January was intense, and out of an abundance of caution I rarely saw family or friends; my days were, more or less, head to the hospital and then head home.”

HAS THE LAST YEAR CHANGED YOUR OUTLOOK ON WORKING IN THE HEALTHCARE FIELD?

“Despite the difficulties, sadness and struggles over the last year, I love my job and I am so happy to be in a position to help others daily. I have always wanted to work in healthcare, and while it has been difficult, I feel I am performing my calling on a daily basis. I know unequivocally that without my Ouimet Scholarship, I would not have dreamed of attending Quinnipiac and likely would not be where I am today. Thank you for all you’ve done for me!”

Twin brothers Jeff and John Ciampa have always been close, and when the time came in high school to get their first jobs, they knew they wanted to be able to work together. Having always been fans of golf, they went to nearby Dedham Country & Polo Club to apply for the caddie training program. “I would say we are not only brothers, but best friends,” John mentioned, with Jeff agreeing, “and getting to work together during those summers growing up was a dream.” Over the course of the next six summers Jeff and John became staples in the caddie yard. Along the way, they earned that working at the course was not only a great way to make some extra cash and save for college, but it also qualified them to apply for the Ouimet Scholarship. Always wanting to be close, they headed together to Providence College campus in the fall of 2016, both proud to call themselves Ouimet Scholars.

During their years at Providence College, John and Jeff became model Ouimet Scholars by not only earning impressive grades and getting involved on campus, but also through attending nearly every Ouimet Fund event available to them. True to form, when they learned about the new Ouimet Career Fair launching in the fall of 2019 the two Accounting & Finance majors actively researched each company. One company in particular, Waldron H. Rand & Co., jumped out to them as they noticed several Dedham Country & Polo Club members were on the leadership team. “We knew the Dlugasch family from the Club,” John mentioned, “and immediately thought the combination of having caddied there, and being able to call ourselves Ouimet Scholars, would help us stand out.”

John and Jeff arrived at the Ouimet Career Fair and made a beeline for the Waldron Rand table, and for nearly twenty minutes chatted with the recruiters, making the logical networking connections and expressing interest in the company. “A few days after the Career Fair, we learned that our resumes had made it to the partners’ desks and we received a call offering internships to each of us,” Jeff said. “I can’t stress enough that without the Career Fair, we aren’t sure where we’d be today.” The twin brothers began commuting from Providence College to the Waldron Rand office in January of 2020, but just a few weeks into their internship they learned that their positions were being postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We were just getting our feet under us, so it was a huge disappointment when the positions were postponed,” the brothers stated, “but the leadership team there couldn’t have been nicer and more accommodating, and they made sure to let us know our internship positions would be there for us when it was appropriate and safe to return.”

Just a few weeks after their graduation from Providence College in the spring of 2020, details were worked out to allow both John and Jeff to return to their internships. They soon learned that their Ouimet connections at the company ran deeper as they would be working with Tom Barrick, a partner at Waldron Rand who himself was a Ouimet Scholar who had worked at Brae Burn Country Club growing up. “Tom has been a great role model for us at Waldron, as he was a Ouimet Scholar when he as in college and has achieved so much,” the Ciampas mentioned, “and it’s been great to learn from him as he seems to appreciate that we have come from similar backgrounds.”

This past September, almost exactly a year to the day since they walked into the Ouimet Career Fair, Jeff and John each received full-time offers to work at Waldron Rand. “Without Ouimet and the Career Fair, and given the events of the last year, we could still be unemployed and searching for a job to this day,” the two said, the gratitude in their voice quite evident. “All the benefits of being a Ouimet Scholar, from the amazing scholarship to the events and general community feel, have been spectacular. But the Ouimet Career Fair created a career path and a future for us, and for that we are beyond thankful.”

TESTIMONIAL FROM A HIRING MANAGER

MICHAEL DIMAGGIO, CFP, BAYSTATE FINANCIAL

“This past winter, my colleagues and I recognized a need for a reliable intern. Our hiring need reminded me of a conversation I had with Fund President Jim Moriarty, who had mentioned to me that The Fund was creating a funnel to help firms identify and hire Ouimet Scholars. I knew from playing golf in Massachusetts and supporting The Fund that Ouimet Scholars were ready-made quality candidates, and that to earn the scholarship you go through a rigorous application process. In early January, I reached out to Ouimet staff and worked with them on the best way to market the position, and within two weeks I had a half-dozen quality applications on my desk. From start to finish the process took less than three weeks, and the candidates were so good we had a hard time choosing just one. We look forward to having a Ouimet Scholar join our team as an intern this spring, and will be using this program to hire again in the future.”

HOW DOES NORTHEASTERN’S CO-OP PROGRAM WORK?

“Within the Engineering program at Northeastern, it is an expectation that you will commit a whole semester to a full-time internship. Northeastern, and specifically the Engineering department, believes that to receive a full education one must combine in-class and ‘on the job’ training to be prepared for employment after school. I found out quickly that it is an extremely competitive program, as there are many qualified candidates for limited positions. So there is definitely a great deal of pressure to rapidly secure a solid engineering position.”

HOW DID BEING A OUIMET SCHOLAR HELP YOU IN THE SEARCH?

“I interviewed with a team at Electrochem Solutions in Raynham, and to be honest it was an intense interview. Electrochem specializes in developing batteries and commercial power solutions, so right off the bat my technical knowledge from class was put to the test. After spending time with the manufacturing team, I met with a Senior Engineer who was going to be overseeing this specific position. While we were chatting, we connected over the fact that we were both from Cape Cod and each of us had a love of golf, and it was then that he told me he was also a Ouimet Scholar when he was in college. Immediately, I felt the air in the room change and the pressure lift, and from there we had a half-hour conversation about golf, where he and I worked, and the Ouimet Scholarship.   I got the sense that he felt we were cut from the same cloth. Luckily, I had Ouimet Scholar prominently listed on my resume!”

WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE INTERVIEW?

“He mentioned to me that they were decided among more than a dozen candidates, but within two days I received a call from him that I had the position. I cannot describe to you how much of a weight came off my shoulders! I believe that knowing what it takes to work in golf and become a Ouimet Scholar gave me a leg up on the competition. It ended up being an incredible experience, and I cannot say enough about Electrochem and the experience I had there. It has set me up for success after graduation, and I truly believe I owe a great deal of that to working in golf and being a Ouimet Scholar.”

In the spring of 2019, Jesse Borgese graduated from his beloved Providence College with a degree in Finance but an uncertainty about what he wanted to do with his life. He had spoken with his family, close friends and colleagues, but it turned out the conversation that most stuck with him was with a fellow Ouimet Scholar, John Kelley ‘19, with whom he had completed the Dale Carnegie program. John told him, “After all my applications and job searching, it was my favorite loop who ended up helping me find my job. Stick with it, I’m sure the same will be true for you.”  To this day, Jesse still laughs about how prescient that advice was.

If you spent any time at Woods Hole Golf Club in the last decade, it is likely you encountered Jesse Borgese. He began caddying at the club in 2009, and over the years worked his way up to being an “A” caddie. He was such a staple at the Club that he eventually took on the role of Caddiemaster, where he trained and supervised A and B caddies and ran the caddie training program to develop the caddies’ leadership skills, social skills, work ethic and integrity. Jesse embodied what a good caddie should be, and thus developed close relationships with members and even had a few regular “loops” he tended to on a weekly basis.

One of those loops was Robert “Ro” Fallon, a Ouimet Alumnus who had worked at Hyannisport Club and graduated from Ohio University. Ro has always actively encouraged young employees at Woods Hole to be sure to apply for a Ouimet Scholarship. “Ro was one of the first members I caddied for at Woods Hole,” Jesse commented, “and even though I was just learning, we had an immediate connection as he showed genuine interest in my life, goals and growth.” Ro actively pushed Jesse to set his goals high, and when it came time to apply for college, Ro made sure that Jesse was applying for the Scholarship and even wrote his recommendation letter. “Ro always commented on how the Ouimet Scholarship was crucial in getting him where he is, and wanted me to have the same experience,” Jesse stated.

Jesse spent the next four years as a Ouimet Scholar at Providence College and stayed in touch with Ro throughout the years with phone calls, emails, and Christmas cards. In the summers, Jesse was always present at Woods Hole to help his favorite loop. Ro was proud to hear about Jesse’s success in school and eventual graduation and was curious about where Jesse would work when the time came. Jesse informed Ro that he would be taking a two-month trip to Asia, and was nervous that Ro wouldn’t approve and would want him to enter the working world immediately. “I had always wanted to travel to Asia, and I decided to take that trip after graduation,” commented Jesse, “and while others saw it as putting off finding a job, Ro was incredibly enthusiastic and supportive. Ro had spent much of his career in Asia, and was so excited to hear I was immersing myself in another culture.”

As Ro was recommending cities, restaurants and golf courses Jesse needed to visit on his trip, he also mentioned to Jesse that his company Phosplatin Therapeutics, a clinical stage drug development company focused on oncology therapeutics, needed some help in their finance department. Ro met Jesse for coffee to describe the company in detail to him, and showed him that the work they were doing was fulfilling and worthwhile. He welcomed Jesse to apply for a position, and in October of 2019 Jesse impressed the entire team in his interview. Just a few weeks later, Jesse boarded a plane to Japan knowing he had a full-time job waiting for him when he returned.

Jesse has now been working at Phosplatin Therapeutics since January 2020 as a Finance and Administration Analyst, and he is proud of the work he does every day. “The whole company, from the research team to the finance department, knows that the work we are doing can one day help save lives and make the treatment of cancer more tolerable for so many,” Jesse says. “We are currently in Phase II clinical trials and look forward to a day in the not-so-distant future where we receive FDA approval.”

Ro and Jesse now get to work together daily and have become close colleagues and friends. Years ago, when Jesse would caddie for Ro, Ro would allow him to hit a few shots or play a hole or two. They now play golf together regularly, and often meet clients and investors to play and describe the important work Phosplatin is involved in. Jesse even joined Ro as his guest at last summer’s Two-Day Member Guest at Woods Hole. “When we were playing this past summer at Woods Hole, it really occurred to me how full circle our relationship had come,” Jesse noted, “and I know that our mutual Ouimet Fund connection, and our love of golf, is the bedrock of that friendship.”

HOW HAS THE ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC AFFECTED YOUR COURSEWORK?

“It has completely changed my coursework, and while it is having an impact on all my fellow students, those who have a focus in the healthcare field or who are required to do a lot of lab work have had to adjust to nearly entirely online learning, especially in the first few months of the pandemic. Initially, everything was done online, including watching our professors perform the labs on our laptops. Personally, the labs are my favorite part of my coursework, so to lose that ability to ‘learn by doing’, that hands on experience, has really been a struggle. Luckily, Northeastern has been able to adjust over time to allow for about 20% of our labs to be in person. With that being said, the labs also used to be a real team effort where I would work in lockstep with fellow students to solve whatever the specific problem was. Now, we do the labs alone, which not only makes solving the problems themselves more difficult, but it also loses that simulation of the real world where doctors and research teams work together to solve actual ongoing issues. I am definitely looking forward to getting back to working with my fellow students, hopefully next semester!”

HAS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAD AN IMPACT ON YOUR INTEREST IN WORKING IN THE HEALTHCARE FIELD?

“Yes, but interestingly enough it has made me more motivated to help make change for the better. While my specific focus would not be infectious diseases, rather pediatric oncology, it has made me realize how crucial doctors, nurses and research facilities are to society and our day-to-day life. I look up to the professors I am learning from and the doctors I come across on a daily basis. I want to achieve my dream so one day I can help kids who are frightened by their diagnosis, just as the doctors and nurses working on the frontlines and across the entire healthcare field are helping ease the tension of their patients.”

ASIDE FROM THE SCHOLARSHIP, HAS BEING A OUIMET SCHOLAR OR WORKING IN GOLF HELPED YOU GET A LEG UP IN THE HEALTHCARE FIELD?

“I believe that it has already and will continue to going forward. I have my title of Ouimet Scholar prominently listed on my resume, and especially when it comes time to apply for medical school, I think it will help me stand out. Also, I have been able to come across numerous doctors and other men and women working in the healthcare field through caddying, which has been a huge help in allowing me to broaden my network.”

HOW HAVE THE EVENTS OF THE LAST YEAR AFFECTED YOUR CLASSES AND WORK AT VILLANOVA?

“As a nursing major, the last year has been that much more challenging with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many of my classes remain virtual, which when taking a class like Anatomy, makes learning far more difficult as I would normally be able to be hands-on. Watching a professor do the work via Zoom is not the same as being able to do it yourself! Luckily, I am still able to be in-person for all my lab work. That has been a blessing, as the Sim Lab work we do really does require being physically present. Yes, we must be in full PPE anytime we are performing labs in the hospital which is its own challenge, but I am so grateful to able to learn in the hands-on format. Currently, we are doing labs in the hospital once a week, and I really look forward to my drives to Bryn Mawr Hospital on those days.”

HOW WILL YOUR NURSING EDUCATION EXPAND IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS AT VILLANOVA?

“I am really looking forward to the increased time spent in the hospital performing lab work. As a junior, I will have fewer ‘traditional’ classes and will be in the hospital three times a week. When senior year rolls around, I will be full-time in the hospital! Also, the focus of the labs will go from mastering more general nursing practice to homing in on specific areas, such as Med Surge, Pediatrics and Women & Childbearing/OBGYN. For me, the brief time I have already spent in the more specific areas has really excited me and I truly cannot wait to be doing that full-time. I have really enjoyed my class and lab work at Villanova and look forward to the future where I plan to do graduate school in Boston to eventually become a nurse anesthesiologist.”

AS THE PANDEMIC CONTINUES, HAVE YOUR EMPLOYMENT OR INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES BEEN AFFECTED?

“The short answer would be yes; it has certainly added a layer of caution to each of the hospitals I have been applying to for internships. However, I am excited to be starting my internship at Boston Children’s Hospital this May! I know this hands-on experience will only further my skills as a nurse and introduce me to the real experience of what I will face each day in the real world. We completed the weeklong orientation for the internship already, which included a fair amount of COVID-specific practices that must be followed. I will be working three 12-hour shifts each week and as I am low on the totem pole, you can imagine I do not receive the most desirable shift times! Nonetheless, I cannot wait to start and look forward to living in Boston for the summer. In the modest free time I will have, I will also be looking to work part-time at a Boston golf course and use my many years of experience from working at Country Club of New Bedford!”

IT HAS BEEN QUITE A UNIQUE WAY TO START YOUR COLLEGE CAREER. HOW WAS YOUR FRESHMAN YEAR AT FITCHBURG STATE?

“You’re not kidding! I suppose I have not yet experienced a “normal” college life yet, so to me, the last year has been eye-opening and cautious, but still educationally challenging and stimulating. I spent the fall semester on campus but have been back home for the spring semester for an entirely virtual class experience.”

WHAT ARE YOU STUDYING AT FITCHBURG STATE?

“I entered Fitchburg State knowing I wanted to work in the healthcare field, and I have declared for a Nursing major. My freshman year has mainly been introductory classes, but I am really looking forward  to next year when I will start my clinicals at the hospital. Frankly, I have known I wanted to be a nurse or a physician’s assistant for as long as I can remember, as I grew up looking up to my mom, who has been a nurse at Cape Cod Hospital for more than 15 years. I have been so inspired by my mom and the stories she tells us at night when she returns home from work. From my point of view, she has maintained an incredibly positive disposition and loved her work for so long, and she genuinely enjoys helping people daily and doing good in the community. I want to be like her, and she has been a perfect role model for me and the work I want to do. I want to help people, just like her.”

HAS THE LAST YEAR BEEN DIFFICULT FOR YOUR MOM AND YOUR FAMILY, WITH YOUR MOM WORKING AT CAPE COD HOSPITAL?

“It has certainly created new challenges and struggles, as she is actually assigned to the COVID floor and has been working that floor since last March. She often works 24-hour shifts, in full PPE head to toe, and at times it was scary for me and my family knowing she was truly on the front lines. Whether she felt the same fear I am not sure, as she still came home each day with that same positive disposition. But every day, she must be incredibly cautious when tending to her patients and needs to maintain that same level of caution when she is home or out in public. She knows she is not just trying to be safe for her or our family, but also for the many patients she works with daily. The way she has handled the last year has been empowering for me to witness and has only furthered my interest in the field and in doing good work like her. Good nurses and healthcare workers are needed now more than ever, and it has inspired me to continue on this path at Fitchburg State.”

AS FOR WORKING IN GOLF, HOW HAS YOUR EXPERIENCE BEEN AT WIANNO CLUB?

“First off, it helped me get a Ouimet Scholarship which is such an incredible honor! As for working at Wianno, I cannot say enough about the membership and staff. I have been a caddie there for more than six summers now, and I still remember the first day I showed up to caddie training. I was the only girl there which was intimidating, but I was motivated to stick with it and prove that I could do anything the boys were doing. Caddying at Wianno does not feel like a job, it is more like going to hang out with friends each day. The membership has been so incredible to me and I am proud to have several consistent loops I maintain on a weekly basis. It was disappointing that I was unable to start caddying this past summer until August, but I cannot wait to get back out there this summer!”

HOW HAVE THE EVENTS OF THE LAST YEAR AFFECTED YOUR CLASSES AND WORK AT BOSTON COLLEGE?

“Last spring, our clinical and lab work at Brigham and Women’s Hospital came to a screeching halt and we transitioned to a fully virtual simulation format, which is really not at all the same as the hands-on experience you get being in-person at the hospital. I am so happy to be back for in-person clinicals once a week, this semester at Veteran’s Hospital in West Roxbury, and as time has gone on, I have become accustomed to working in full PPE. During my lab and clinical work throughout the last year we have been immersed in everything from traditional nursing work (setting IV’s, dressing wounds, administering shots) to more specific work in departments like Pediatrics & Newborns or Emergency Medicine. However, being in the hospital so often, it has really become clear that I (and my colleagues and classmates) must be fastidious when considering our exposure in public and to the virus. I am constantly aware of my surroundings and try to be as cautious as possible, as when I enter the hospital, I could be transmitting anything I bring in those walls to patients who are already at risk for one reason or another. We are taught that patient health is paramount, and we must consider this when making decisions about activities in our own personal lives.”

WHAT MADE YOU INTERESTED IN THE HEALTHCARE FIELD?

“I have known I wanted to work in healthcare for as long as I can remember. I have admired my mother since I was young, and she has worked at Suffolk County Jail as a nurse for nearly 20 years. She is an eternal optimist and has not let the stress and fear of the last year affect her commitment to her patients. Her outlook on life, and her job, has inspired me. What I really love about nursing is being in the hospital, performing patient care and interacting with people, and I think I gained a lot of that from learning from my mom growing up.”

AS GRADUATION APPROACHES, WHERE DO YOU SEE YOUR ROLE IN THE HEALTHCARE FIELD?

“I know this is unique, but one of my role models growing up was my pediatrician at Center Pediatrics in Brookline! He has had a huge influence on my life, and we remain close and in contact to this day. Without him, I really do not think I would be where I am today. So, after graduation, my plan is to get a job working in pediatrics, and eventually I plan to attend graduate school and earn a Master’s in Pediatrics to become a pediatrician.”

Kenneth, an incoming Junior at UMass-Amherst majoring in Political Science, is turning what he’s learned in the classroom into real world impact for the city he loves, Worcester.

WHERE DID YOU DO YOUR “SERVICE TO GOLF” TO EARN A OUIMET SCHOLARSHIP?

I was lucky enough to begin working at Worcester Country Club as a caddy at the age of 13, when the golf bags were bigger than I was. Worcester CC became a second home to me – I never had brothers growing up, so my fellow caddies became like family. Although I am not working there this summer, I am still in touch with many of them, and consider others at the course like Alan Belden (WCC Head Professional), Tim Lahey, Jack McDaniel, Chris Provo – the list goes on and on – to be true mentors of mine and people who shaped the man I am today. Simply put, working at Worcester Country Club taught me proper etiquette, and how to be an adult and a professional.

IF YOU ARE NOT WORKING AT WORCESTER CC THIS SUMMER, WHERE WILL YOU BE WORKING?

I am deeply passionate about my community. I want to do work that will have a great impact on those around me. I began interning in April for the March of Dimes in Westborough and will continue to work with them for the remainder of the summer. I am so grateful to the organization for allowing me to work with them, as I have learned so much from the team. With some fellow students, I also started a non-profit organization in Worcester, so I am picking up some of the general “tools of the trade” through my internship with March of Dimes.

CAN YOU TELL US MORE ABOUT THE NONPROFIT YOU STARTED?

Absolutely. Worcester is my home, and I feel a deep connection to the city and really want to see it continue to improve and develop. It is a diverse city, and my colleagues and I felt that the whole population wasn’t being represented in government, in part because they weren’t getting involved in the process. So, we started the Worcester Voter Registration Initiative, and our goal is to promote civic engagement within the Worcester community – mainly focused on increasing youth voter registration and census registration, but also taking it to the next level to push for greater voter turnout by working to educate the diverse population on both the importance of voting and completing the census. For the whole city to be represented properly, each person within the city needs to do their part. We have begun (while staying socially distant and safe!) working to set up voter information and registration tables in the city, where people can feel comfortable learning about this from peers.

HAS IT BEEN DIFFICULT FOR YOU TO CONTINUE YOUR WORK THROUGH THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, & HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOUR LIFE PERSONALLY?

It has been difficult to continue the work [with both March of Dimes and WVRI] mostly because of logistics, as we have not been able to collaborate in person for a long time now. The main difficulty for me personally came when we learned that my mother had contracted coronavirus. She is really the head of the household, working two jobs and taking care of me and my sister. She works taking care of the elderly both in nursing homes and those who are at-home, and despite all the precautions she took she did contract the virus. Luckily, she recovered, but during those few weeks our finances, from paying the rent to buying groceries, were genuinely uncertain in my house. It was scary, but I feel blessed that she is healthy again and back at work.

HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THE OUIMET SCHOLARSHIP AND WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE A SCHOLAR?

At Worcester CC, all my fellow employees knew about the Ouimet Fund as there exists a strong partnership between the Club and the Ouimet Fund, and the staff really pushes Scholar opportunities. I also used to ask members about the program while I was caddying, as I noticed those who had Ouimet bag tags hanging from their golf bags. I can honestly say that the Ouimet Fund is a pillar in my life, and a support basis from which I can feel financially confident attending college. The Ouimet Fund believed in me and has my back financially, but I can also say the pride I have in receiving the Ouimet Scholarship, as well as the Harrison Taylor Worcester CC Endowed Scholarship, is immense. I have already seen that the Scholarship stands out on my resume! I want to thank all the donors from Worcester Country Club and across the state, who have helped me get to where I am today. I will continue working to make you proud!

On May 21st, thanks in large part to the enthusiastic participation of Tom Kite and Dave Marr, III the virtual Annual Banquet Honoring Tom Kite was launched on Ouimet.org and presented the first opportunity for the entire Ouimet community to “attend” the Annual Banquet. The Banquet is perhaps the most important event on the Ouimet calendar. The funds raised are vital to providing scholarships annually, so a huge thank you to our generous and loyal sponsors who stuck by the event despite the financial difficulties presented by the pandemic. This great event and the Ouimet mission were able to reach a far larger crowd than any Banquet before, so if you have not had the chance to view the online Banquet, it is still available at www.ouimet.org!

TOM KITE & DAVE MARR, III INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS UNIQUE BANQUET EXPERIENCE

“We were so excited to have Hall of Famer Tom Kite as the 2020 Honoree,” said Jim Moriarty, Ouimet Fund President. “Tom has been a force in the game of golf since his junior amateur days, and to be able to honor him with the Ouimet Award – and for him to work so closely with us to make the virtual event a success – I simply cannot say enough great things about Tom Kite. He has made a huge impact on the Ouimet Fund and the game of golf. He is very deserving of this award.”

In the interview with Dave Marr, III, Tom noted how deeply proud he was to add his name to the recipients of the Francis Ouimet Award, golfers he referred to as “heroes of mine.” To coincide with the 2020 Award, an endowed scholarship was created in the name of his late wife, Christy, who passed away in 2015 after a battle with cancer.

“I hope with the creation of the Christy Kite Family Scholarship, we are able to help many deserving young people achieve their dreams, just as my family was so instrumental in helping me achieve mine.”

STUDENT SPEAKER JEROME SULLIVAN ’21 PROUDLY REPRESENTS OUIMET SCHOLAR COMMUNITY

Student Speaker Jerome Sullivan, an incoming senior at Providence College, spoke publicly for the first time about the struggle of growing up with a single mother raising seven children – and the difficulties that presented in affording college. Sullivan’s speech was widely praised and many were able to resonate with his stories of growing up on a golf course and working in the game for more than a decade. Continuing the recent tradition, Jerome learned that the entirety of his financial need would be covered by the Ouimet Fund for his senior year, making an enormous difference to his entire family.