Q&A with this month’s #PlattProfile, Eva Simmons
Eva Simmons, an Environmental Sciences major at Pitt, works in the pro shop at Downingtown Country Club. She shares how she found her major, her love for the golf course, and how she became her club’s first Platt Scholar. Read More!
(This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)
Q: How old are you?
A: I just turned 19.
Q: What school are you currently attending?
A: I go to the University of Pittsburgh.
Q: When do you graduate?
A: I graduate in spring of 2028.
Q: What is your major?
A: My major is in environmental sciences.
Q: How did you decide on that major?
A: I always had an interest in the earth and the planet and everything like that, spending time outdoors, and playing golf obviously. And then in high school, we have an International Baccalaureate program as opposed to AP classes. So I was able to take a class called Environmental Systems and Societies and it’s a two-year class. So I took it my junior and senior year and I just kind of fell in love with it and I knew that that’s what I wanted to do.
Q: Do you participate in any school activities or clubs?
A: So, I am a part of a co-ed service and leadership fraternity. I will be the vice president of leadership next school year. It’s a really good organization and I do a lot of volunteering through them. I just completed the Panther Leadership Academy through the university. So, I am now certified. It was 2 hours every week. So, I would go and do that. I’m also a part of the honors research committee. It’s over now because it’s so close to the end of the school year, but we did a lot of work of just getting the research opportunities out to the school and what they could do to get involved in research if they’re interested.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: I play golf. I don’t have my golf clubs here unfortunately, because I can’t have them in the dorm. I just don’t have room for them. But I will definitely be doing that over this summer. I love to read. So I do read a lot and I enjoy spending time with my friends and being outdoors.
Q: What golf club do you work at?
A: Downingtown Country Club.
Q: How long have you been working there?
A: A little bit over two and a half years.
Q: How did you get into working at the club?
A: Our director of golf there is the coach for the girls golf team at my high school, and he was kind of like, “Yeah, if anyone needs a job, we’re looking for people to work in the pro shop.” So, I reached out to him and I was like, “Hey, I would love to see what that’s like.” Just because I love being at the course. I’ve been at golf courses since I was 8 years old. I just love the atmosphere. So I started working there in November of that year. And so obviously it was super slow, not a lot of people were out, but we are a course that’s open year round, like weather depending, we don’t ever close unless there’s snow. So it was really slow to start out with, but then working over the summer, there’s so many people there all day long. So yeah, I love it.
Q: What is your favorite thing about working at your club?
A: I honestly just love interacting with other golfers. I know a lot of the members there just because I’ve been working there for so long. So they come in and they’re always so excited to see me, especially when I come back for break from school. And I just love seeing them. They are always talkative about what’s going on in their life or how their golf game is going. And like I said, I just love being in that atmosphere. Working outings and stuff is my favorite because there’s so many people just going out on the course. I love being on the golf course in the golf atmosphere.
Q: How did you hear about the J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship?
A: I actually heard about it through Downingtown Country Club. They had a poster that said, “Hey, if you’re looking for a scholarship and you work at this course, you could be eligible.” And I honestly didn’t think that I would be eligible because at first it just said caddies. And then my boss, who is also my golf coach, he was like, “I think it applies to people who work in the golf shop too now.” And I was like, “Okay, I totally can.” I think I am the youngest person to work in the pro at our course as of right now. I’m not sure if they hired anyone else, but no one else had really ever done it before. I know that I’m the first one from Downingtown Country Club to receive this. So, no one else had ever done it. And he was like, “No, I think you should try.” And I was, “Totally fine. I can totally do that.”
Q: What are your long-term goals? Think 5 to 10 years
A: My long term goals include becoming an Environmental Consultant, in which companies can do what is best for them economically and what is best for the environment.
Q: What is something that happened to you while working at the club that you will never forget?
A: One thing that I will never forget is learning how to talk on the phone. It is such a valuable skill to have, and people regularly compliment me on how well I speak on the phone.
Q: What advice would you give your younger self?
A: Some advice I would give to myself is to take advantage of every opportunity that I am able to. It is very important to experience new things in life and explore everything that I could possibly be interested in.
Q: How has J. Wood Platt changed your life?
A: J. Wood Platt has changed my life by allowing me to worry less about the financial burden that college brings on. My education is very important to me and I am so thankful for these opportunities.
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.
