Working as a caddie helped this Cristo Rey graduate earn a full scholarship

When Darlie Valmyr recalls living in her native country, Haiti, she thinks of being around extended relatives who showered her with love or the candy shop next door to her family’s home that used to hand out free goodies.

Her family immigrated to Philadelphia after the devastating earthquake in Haiti in 2010, which killed 220,000 people and left 1.5 million people homeless. Valmyr was just 3 years old. Her childhood home was destroyed and the surrounding community was dismantled.

“I vaguely have memories of us being outside with each other after the earthquake had happened,” said Valmyr, who’s one of five siblings and now lives in Northeast Philly. “A lot of the things that we had were destroyed. We didn’t have much, but we turned it into a lot.”

She certainly has. For the last three summers, the recent Cristo Rey graduate has participated in the Western Golf Association’s Caddie Academy, a seven-week caddying program for students. It allowed her to become eligible to apply this year for the Evans Scholarship, which funds college housing and tuition for students.

The WGA, a nonprofit based out of Chicago, conducts championships for professional and amateur golfers. It also promotes the use of caddies for students with limited financial means. In 2012, the WGA launched the Caddie Academy, and it has since grown to six chapters nationwide.

The scholarship is name after Charles “Chick” Evans Jr., who started off as a caddie and eventually became one of the nation’s top amateur golfers. In 1929, he asked the WGA to administer a scholarship fund to send caddies to college. Today, members of the WGA’s Par Club and proceeds from the association’s championships help fund the Evans Scholarship.

This fall, Valmyr will attend Howard University on a full ride and intends to major in psychology. The experience of caddying came with challenges; she wasn’t a golf expert and at first struggled with being away from home. But a different environment put Valmyr out of her comfort zone and helped her make new friendships while also growing as a person.

“It’s very gratifying to know that I put myself in this position to be able to get the scholarship,” Valmyr said. “I was able to remove the weight off of my family’s shoulders and the stress I was carrying, too. [Her parents] have five children; they can’t afford for each of us to go to college. They didn’t go themselves. For me, it’s important to know that I got here, and I deserve it.”

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To be awarded the scholarship, applicants must have high academic standing and be active members of the Caddie Academy. Valmyr graduated with a 3.8 grade point average and thrived in AP courses such as U.S. history and literature.

This past year, 940 caddies applied for the Evans Scholarship and 360 scholarships were awarded for the 2025-26 academic year. Valmyr found out in January that she and three other Cristo Rey students — LilyRose McGraw, Laila Mitchell, and Valerie Victor — would receive it.

“When I came home from school, I was waiting at the door for the envelope to come,” Valmyr said. “It came, and I felt around the paper to see if the [honorary] flag was in there, and I felt it. It was like a breath of fresh air — relief. After months of waiting, it was finally over. Me and my family, we celebrated after that.”

Upon moving to North Philly from Haiti, Valmyr had to learn a new language. She knew only French and Creole. However, she was a quick learner and had her two older sisters to look up to.

Her eldest sister graduated from Drexel and was part of the Liberty Scholars program, which covered all tuition and fees. Another sister went to Carnegie Mellon on a full academic scholarship. Both attended Central High School.

Watching them work hard in the classroom inspired Valmyr to do the same once she got into high school.

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“I would always see my siblings come home late, they’d be in [International Baccalaureate] classes, AP classes, trying to build an education for themselves,” Valmyr said. “I really did look up to them, seeing how successful they were and how they ended up to be.”

She applied to Central but decided to go to Cristo Rey for its work-study program. Through her work-study, she has interned with PECO, Fulton Bank, and the Union League. Then her summers were spent caddying.

Valmyr learned of the Caddie Academy during her freshman year when the WGA came to Cristo Rey. Speakers talked about networking opportunities, life skills to take from caddying, and the Evans Scholarship.

It seemed like a good opportunity: She would gain valuable experience, make some money, and work toward her goal of attending college for free.

Valmyr spent the first two year’s of the program at Penn State golf courses and last year at Barrington Hills Country Club near Chicago. Although she knew little about golf, Valmyr worked hard to learn.

“First I learned how golf worked, because I hadn’t experienced golf at all before,” she said. “I was learning from the golfers about yardage and specific charts. As well, what that they would use, like a putter and a driver. I had never been introduced to things like that, so I learned from golfers to be better as a caddie.

“It’s a lot about anticipating what a golfer needs, so I started to see what a golfer would want before they even thought about it or would hand them their driver before they went to the next hole.”

In many ways, the experience helped build confidence and learn to trust her instincts. But what will stick with her through this experience, she said, is the communication aspect. She had to put herself out there and not be afraid to ask questions.

Now, this summer, Valmyr is still serving as a caddie at Barrington Hills Country Club, but is seen as a mentor to the younger caddies.

“I feel more comfortable in myself,” Valmyr said. “I don’t feel as much impostor syndrome about my achievements. ... I’ve grown to love talking to people, meeting different types of people, and I’m excited to see the person I’m going to become in college.”