Teen Lost Her Dad Unexpectedly. Their Shared Love of Golf Helped Her Land a Scholarship Worth Over $125,000 (Exclusive)
Teen Lost Her Dad Unexpectedly. Their Shared Love of Golf Helped Her Land a Scholarship Worth Over $125,000 (Exclusive)
Toria SheffieldSat, June 27, 2026 at 10:00 PM UTC
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Daniella Penaloza and her father, Daniella PenalozaCredit: Daniella Penaloza/WGA - Evans Scholarship Foundation (2) -
Daniella Penaloza, a South Carolina teen, lost her father unexpectedly in 2022
Daniella, who used to golf with her dad, recently earned a college scholarship for caddies worth more than $125,000
The teen said the scholarship money has lifted an “immense amount of weight lifted off my shoulders”
A South Carolina teen who lost her father found her way back to the sport he loved — and it ultimately changed her future.
Daniella Penaloza, a recent graduate of South Aiken High School in Aiken, was recently awarded the prestigious Evans Scholarship, a full college tuition and housing scholarship for golf caddies worth more than $125,000.
For Penaloza, the moment she learned she had earned the scholarship is one she'll never forget.
Daniella Penaloza with Evans Scholarship flagCredit: Daniella Penaloza/WGA - Evans Scholarship Foundation
"When I received the scholarship, it came on the day I least expected it," she tells PEOPLE exclusively. "I received a text from the new owners of the house my mother and I lived in: a picture of a large envelope, with the text, 'You got mail,' dinged my phone at 9:07 in the morning."
She immediately rushed to retrieve the letter from her former home.
"The drive from where I live now to my old house was the longest 10-minute drive of my life," she recalls. "I was shaking, with the fate of my future in my hands."
Daniella PenalozaCredit: Daniella Penaloza/WGA - Evans Scholarship Foundation
Standing outside with the envelope, Penaloza decided not to wait.
"Tears filled my eyes as I was beginning to open it. When reading the papers and seeing the new Evans Scholar flag, I was so overwhelmed with happiness that I cried," she remembers.
The news marked the end of years of financial uncertainty for Penaloza, who caddies at the Old Barnwell Golf Club.
Daniella Penaloza with familyCredit: Daniella Penaloza/WGA - Evans Scholarship Foundation
"I felt so light that day, like I was walking on clouds," she says. "Everyone at my job, my caddie master, Alex Beegle, gave me one of the largest hugs I've ever received. Everyone came to congratulate me, and I was overwhelmed with the love."
Growing up in a family of eight, Penaloza says she watched her parents work tirelessly to provide opportunities for their children.
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Her father, who frequently had to travel for work, introduced her to golf during the time they spent together, teaching her not only the fundamentals of the game but also lessons in patience and perseverance.
After her father died suddenly in November 2022, Penaloza struggled to return to the course.
Daniella Penaloza with her fatherCredit: Daniella Penaloza/WGA - Evans Scholarship Foundation
Golf, she says, became inseparable from the memories she shared with him.
Everything changed when her swing coach suggested she begin caddying.
What started as a job gradually became something much more meaningful, helping her reconnect with the game while finding a renewed sense of purpose and community during one of the most difficult periods of her life.
Receiving the scholarship, she says, lifted an enormous burden from her family.
"What the Evans Scholarship means to me and my family was like a deep breath after feeling suffocated for so long," Penaloza tells PEOPLE.
"My family and I spent our time stressing over how to ensure my future in a way that would benefit me. And when I received the scholarship, I felt an immense amount of weight lifted off my shoulders,” she adds.
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This fall, Penaloza will attend the University of South Carolina in Columbia, where she plans to study nursing.
She was one of two student caddies from Old Barnwell Golf Club to earn the Evans Scholarship this year.
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
