Q&A with this month’s #PlattProfile, Ryan Friel
Ryan Friel is a 20-year-old student at Saint Joseph’s University, where he is double majoring in Risk Management & Insurance and Finance. A sixth-season caddie at Rolling Green Golf Club, Ryan enjoys meeting people from all walks of life through caddying while building relationships that have helped shape his future.
(This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)
Q: How old are you?
A: I’m 20.
Q: What school are you currently attending?
A: St. Joseph’s University.
Q: When do you graduate?
A: May 2028.
Q: What is your major?
A: I’m a double major in Risk Management & Insurance and Finance.
Q: How did you decide on those two majors?
A: I knew I wanted to go into insurance after seeing the opportunities it provides and knowing it’s a good career. I have neighbors who work in insurance, and it seemed like they had a good work-life balance and enjoyed their jobs. After speaking to them, I knew it would be a good fit for me.
Q: Do you participate in any school activities or clubs?
A: Yeah. I’m in Gamma Iota Sigma, which is the professional insurance organization. I also play Gaelic football and I’m a member of Delta Sigma Pi, a professional business fraternity.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: Golfing, snowboarding, playing soccer, and going to the beach with my friends.
Q: What golf club do you caddie at?
A: Rolling Green.
Q: How long have you been caddying there?
A: This will be my sixth season there.
Q: How did you get into caddying at the club?
A: I live like two or three blocks away, so I always wanted to caddie there growing up. I knew people who caddied there and how much they enjoyed it. It’s good money, and I enjoy golf and being outside, so I thought it’d be fun.
Q: What is your favorite thing about caddying?
A: Probably meeting all different people and getting the opportunity to talk to people from all different backgrounds and industries and build closer relationships with them.
Q: How did you hear about the J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship?
A: I actually heard about it before I started caddying. I knew there was a caddie scholarship offered, so that was kind of the reason I started caddying. Then I learned more about it once I started caddying, and by my senior year I knew I wanted to apply because it was a great opportunity.
Q: What are your long-term goals? Think 5 to 10 years
A: In the next 5 years I want to have a full time job in the insurance industry and to obtain my CPCU designation. I would also be looking to move to a city down south. In the next 10 years I would like to hopefully have a beach house by then.
Q: What is something that happened to you while caddying at your club that you will never forget?
A: I will never forget how I had the opportunity to work in Jason Kelce’s outing and had the opportunity to caddie for two former Eagles players Brian Westbrook and Jeremiah Trotter. I also was able to meet many other athletes. It was great working at an event like that.
Q: What advice would you give your younger self?
A: I would advise my younger self to be more outgoing and talkative and initiate conversations. Having the ability to talk to people is such an important skill so I wish I started working on that at a younger age.
Q: How has J. Wood Platt changed your life?
A: J. Wood Platt has changed my life by saving me and my family a lot of money and not having to stress as much about where I attended school. I also have two siblings in college at the same time as me so it was a tremendous financial help to me and my parents. J. Wood Platt has also opened so many more doors for me to meet individuals that I would have never met without the organization. Some of the people I have met have been big supporters of me and helped me out with guidance when I needed it, whether it’s in school, work, or in my future career.
J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship Trust
The J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship Trust was created in 1958 and is the charitable arm of GAP (Golf Association of Philadelphia). The J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship Trust’s mission is to financially aid and empower qualified caddies and those working in golf operations in the pursuit of higher education. Along with aiding caddies financially, J. Wood Platt’s EMPOWER program strengthens scholarship investment dollars by providing caddies with exceptional benefits and leadership training through access to the wide network of J. Wood Platt donors and alumni. To date, more than 4,200 young men and women have received $29 million in aid from the Trust.
