FAIRWAY TO SUCCESS
Established in 2007, the Fairway to Success Program annually awards scholarships to deserving students based on academic performance, extracurricular activities, community involvement and financial need. Each year, at least one outstanding and deserving senior at each high school is awarded a four-year, $20,000 scholarship. In addition, one to two students are awarded a "last dollar" full scholarship to our partner schools, the University of North Texas at Dallas and the University of Texas at Arlington.
The Northern Texas PGA, Deloitte and United Way are proud to announce as of April 2024, $2.5M in scholarships have been awarded to 96 recipients. Eighty-six students have each been awarded a $20,000 scholarship. 100% of these have been funded over the past 17 years from Deloitte partners, principals, directors and personnel in North Texas through a scholarship endowment. An additional ten "last dollar" full scholarships have also been awarded by UNT Dallas and UTA.
This school year, 79 seniors from our four DISD participating high schools submitted scholarship applications, and six students were selected as 2024 Deloitte/NTPGA Fairway to Success Scholarship recipients, while one student received the "last dollar" full scholarship from the University of Texas at Arlington, and one student received a "last dollar" full scholarship from the University of North Texas as Dallas.
An additional 12 finalists were awarded $95,000 in NTPGA Foundation scholarships thanks in part to support from the Jordan Spieth Family Foundation, I AM a Golfer Foundation, THE CJ CUP Byron Nelson and the NTPGA Foundation.
Jada is a 2024 graduate of Lincoln High School. She will pursue higher education at the University of North Texas - Dallas with plans to study psychology. Jada was a multi-sport athlete at Lincoln and also served as captain for the wrestling and power-lifting teams. Jada competed in track and field, and this most recent season she set the district record for women's pole vaulting. Not only was Jada involved in athletics, but she also served as the historian for the school’s student council. This summer, she is interning with PepsiCo in the Human Resources department.
Alan is a 2024 graduate of Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Magnet Center and David W. Carter High School was his home school for athletics. Alan will be attending Southwestern Assemblies of God University and studying physical therapy. His goal is to one day be a physical therapist for a professional sports organization. Alan has a strong passion for soccer and is hoping to continue his career in college. Alan is the first of his family to attend college, while also being a first-generation high school graduate. When asked about his experience with Fairway to Success, he said he most enjoyed learning patience when playing golf. While in high school, Alan completed an internship with The Dallas World Aquarium.
Amy, valedictorian of the 2024 Thomas Jefferson High School class, will attend the University of Southern California in the fall. Amy is moving to the West Coast to study pharmacology/drug development. She grew this passion by studying with her sister who is currently a pharmacy tech. Her goal is to one day work for big pharma in research development. In her free time, Amy enjoys painting, specifically using acrylic, or watching Disney movies.
Daisy, the salutatorian of the 2024 W.W. Samuell High School class, is heading to the University of Texas at Arlington to study architecture. In her younger years, she developed an interest in architecture. Even though she is the youngest in her family, she will be the first to attend college. When asked about the Fairway to Success program, she mentioned that she enjoyed getting to know her classmates better while golfing.
Olayinka, originally from Nigeria, is a graduate of the Early College High School Program and W.W. Samuell High School. Olayinka has intentions to further her education at Texas Woman’s University on the pre-med track. In her free time, Olayinka enjoyed running track for Samuell High School, where she also was team captain. She also manages her schoolwork with a part-time job at IHOP. She has a genuine interest in helping kids and has set a goal of becoming a pediatrician.
Jocelyn is a 2024 graduate of Lincoln High School. Upon graduation, she will be headed to the University of North Texas at Dallas (UNT-D). During her time at UNT-D, she will be a part of the track and field team and has the intention to study chemistry. Her career goal is to become a dentist. During high school, Jocelyn kept busy by being involved in the academic decathlon, e-sports club, and the local Boys & Girls Club. If she is not busy with school activities, she has a passion for cooking. This passion was introduced to her by her grandparents who operate a local catering business. The biggest lesson she learned while in high school is to take chances and not leave room for regret.
Briana is a 2024 graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School, as well as the P-Tech program, earning her associate's degree from Brookhaven College. This coming fall, Briana will be heading to Austin to attend the University of Texas and pursue studies in early childhood education. Briana was a part of the high school wrestling team and also worked El Rancho being promoted to head cashier. Briana wants to continue to be an example to her younger siblings by showing her leadership.
Stephanie, a 2024 graduate of W.W. Samuell High School and the Early College High School program, will attend the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) to study international business with a focus on German. Currently, her sister is also attending UTA and studying for the same degree, which influenced Stephanie. She hopes to study abroad while in school and to one day be a project manager for a German company. Stephanie has also found a connection with the
Harry Potter series. Her sister introduced her to the series, and she stated that she feels a connection to them because of the mentor Harry had in Dumbledore is how she would describe how she views her older sister.
2024 FAIRWAY TO SUCCESS BANQUET HIGHLIGHTS
Fairway to Success is helping to impact and change the lives of young people in our community. The program is conducted at four DISD high schools – W.W. Samuell, Thomas Jefferson, David W. Carter and Lincoln and includes exposing students to golf and the life lessons that are inherent to the game.
These schools were selected by DISD for their level of need and lack of outside resources. During the 2023-2024 school year, a virtual college-prep program and after school golf programs were conducted for 79 DISD high school students introducing them to golf by local PGA professionals and Deloitte professionals.
Graduating seniors who qualify by participating in the program, have the opportunity to apply for a college scholarship.