The moment he opened the envelope and pulled out the letter, Elmwood Park senior Jake Zwierzynski’s life changed.
The letter arrived at Zwierzynski’s home on a Friday in early December. It came from the Evans Scholars Foundation. It informed him that his college education, including tuition and housing, would be 100 percent paid for.
“It was surreal. At first when I read the letter, I kind of just stood there,” Zwierzynski said. “And then hugs were given. My mom was pretty excited. I was pretty excited. Four years of hard work finally paid off. It was a great feeling.”
Zwierzynski is having a solid wrestling season for the Tigers, with a 12-3 record at 152 pounds through 15 matches. He said he would love to wrestle in college, but his full scholarship could influence that decision.
A person’s life can turn on a simple decision, like the one Zwierzynski made two years ago when he was looking for part-time work and a friend suggested that he apply for a caddy position at Oak Park Country Club.
More Top Picks Best Generators For Home
Zwierzynski could have applied for work at any of a few dozen local businesses that employ high school students part-time. He couldn’t know at the time that the simple decision to apply for the caddy position would have far-reaching implications on his future.
The Western Golf Association Evans Scholars Foundation has existed since 1899 and has been offering college scholarships since 1930. More than 10,000 scholarships have been awarded over the past 86 years.
“About a month after I started working there, someone at the country club told me about it,” Zwierzynski said. “I filled out the application online, and then that also motivated me to work even harder in school.”
Scholarships are awarded based on academic performance, a two-year caddie record, character and financial need.
Where financial need is concerned, Zwierzynski comes from a single-parent home. His involvement in National Honor Society and other school activities helped him meet the Evans Scholarship consideration for character. He has easy access to a character witness if he needs one.
“Jake is my wife’s favorite,” Elmwood Park wrestling coach Neil Posmer said. “He’s a great kid. He’s reliable, honest, driven. He puts a lot of effort into everything he does, and guys like him are going to have successful lives because they do all the right things.”
As a wrestler, Zwierzynski has become more aggressive and offensive-minded in his senior year, his coach said. “He’s also such a tough kid, in the sense that he can just take a beating and keep going,” Posmer added. “He doesn’t quit.”
Zwierzynski’s mother, Ewa Zwierzynska, had her doubts when Jake told her he wanted to wrestle in high school, afraid of what effect the physically demanding sport might have on her son.
But like many wrestling moms before her, she eventually warmed up to the idea.
“She still gets nervous before my matches, but now she loves coming out to watch me wrestle,” Jake Zwierzynski said. “It’s nice to rewatch a tape of a match I’ve wrestled and hear her in the background, yelling for me.
“The focus and determination I have in the wrestling room translates over to my academics. My grades go up during the season, rather than maybe going down due to all the time I spend wrestling.”
Zwierzynski is considering Indiana, Marquette, Purdue and Illinois, and plans on majoring in accounting and finance. In the wake of receiving his scholarship, he reflected on how his mother has influenced his character.
“She’s a hard worker, and the fact that she has that work ethic has rubbed off on me,” Zwierzynski said. “She’s been such a big motivator and supporter for me in school and in whatever I do.”
Gary Larsen is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press