Q&A with this month’s #PlattProfile, Jack Meder
Meder speaks about what the Platt Scholarship means to him.
(This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)
Q: How old are you?
A: I am 21.
Q: What school are you currently attending?
A: West Chester University.
Q: When do you graduate?
A: I graduated this past May.
Q: What is your major?
A: My major is accounting.
Q: How did you decide on that major and minor?
A: I like numbers and wanted to do math so I went into accounting.
Q: Do you participate in activities in school? Clubs?
A: Yes, I played club soccer.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: My hobbies are playing soccer, fishing, and hanging out with friends.
Q: What golf club do you caddie for?
A: Philadelphia Cricket Club.
Q: How long have you been caddying?
A: This will be my 8th year this year.
Q: How did you start caddying?
A: My neighbor worked there and he told me to give it a go. I ended up liking it so I stuck with it for the last eight years.
Q: What is your favorite thing about caddying?
A: I really like meeting all of the people and hearing what they do with their lives. I can often try to follow their paths a little bit.
Q: How did you hear about J. Wood Platt?
A: From my club, they have JWP signs up about the scholarship. They help us apply and luckily I received the scholarship!
Q: What are your long-term goals? Think 5 to 10 years
A: My long-term goals are to find a job, settle down, have a family, a house, and travel around the world.
Q: What is something that happened to you while caddying that you will never forget?
A: Something that happened while I was caddying that I won’t forget is that I went out for a loop with a nice guy and when we were done, the member went to the caddie master and told him what a great job I did. It was a real confidence booster and I still remember the interaction to this day.
Q: What advice would you give your younger self as a caddie or a new caddie just starting?
A: Advice I would give my younger self as a caddie is to push through the tough beginning time when you’re first starting because you will end up enjoying it later.
Q: How has J. Wood Platt changed your life?
A: J. Wood Platt has changed my life a lot because it has helped me achieve my college degree and better myself for the future. I am very grateful for the Platt scholarship and the opportunities that it has given me.
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 3,700 young men and women have received $25 million in aid from the Trust.
