Q&A with this month’s #PlattProfile, Julian Ciurlino
Julian Ciurlino discusses his academic journey at Drexel University, his passion for caddying at Merion Golf Club, and how the J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship has supported his goals. Read more!
(This interview has been edited for clarity and length.)
Q: How old are you?
A: 21. Just turned 21.
Q: What school are you currently attending?
A: Drexel University.
Q: When do you graduate?
A: I’ll be graduating either late 2026 or early 2027 depending on if I do an extra internship.
Q: What is your major?
A: A major in finance and a minor in real estate management and development.
Q: How did you decide on that major and minor?
A: The major in finance—I was always interested in how money flows through society. How it’s created, how it motivates people and organizations to do things. So that was that interest there and I just wanted to explore more of that. My minor in real estate management and development comes from my father, who’s a real estate broker in the city. Just being around him, and seeing what he does, sparked that interest there too.
Q: Do you participate in any school activities or clubs?
A: Yeah, I am involved in a few things at Drexel. First, I re-founded fraternity my freshman year and served on the executive board for a year and a half as treasurer and secretary. And then, I was on the club golf team for a little bit. And a few finance clubs as well.
Q: Do you have any hobbies?
A: I golf a lot. So, besides golf, just school and work. Right now, I’m busy with my internship.
Q: Tell me about your internship
A: I’m currently on a 6-month internship at Hamilton Lane in Conshohocken through Drexel’s CO-OP program. Within the private investment firm, I work as a treasury analyst on the treasury team, responsible for monitoring, tracking, and reporting cash flow activity and the performance of client portfolios and investments
Q: What golf club do you caddie for?
A: Merion Golf Club.
Q: How long have you been caddying?
A: This is my third full season. But before that, I also worked at Merion as an outside attendant at the bag drop.
Q: How did you start caddying?
A: I started caddying through a connection through the First Tee to that bag drop job. From there, I was talking with other caddies and my caddie masters and assistant caddie masters and that’s how I became involved there.
Q: What is your favorite thing about caddying?
A: I like interacting with so many different personalities. There’s not one single personality—whether it is the caddies or the people I’m caddying for—that is the same. I also like that I can meet these incredibly successful people in their careers and have the opportunity to pick their brains and learn as much as I can from them.
Q: How did you hear about the J. Wood Platt Caddie Scholarship?
A: I had a few friends who were J. Wood Platt Scholars. And then also, just from working at Merion, they have a lot of donors and people who are involved with the scholarship fund, and they told me to apply.
Q: What are your long-term goals? Think 5 to 10 years
A: 5-10 years out I plan to have an established role in a leading financial services firm. I’d like to have built a strong network within the industry, learning as much as I can from people with different backgrounds and perspectives. Another goal is to be financially free and find a balance between personal growth and helping others.
Q: What is something that happened to you while caddying that you will never forget?
A: While I’ve had a few super memorable moments, like the occasional hole-out or sinking of a 50-foot putt, what truly stands out is the joy I feel when I see a golfer succeed based on my advice. That feeling of helping someone improve their game and the impact I have is something I’ll never forget.
Q: What advice would you give your younger self as a caddie or a new caddie just starting?
A: I would tell my younger self as a caddie to be more decisive in your decisions and to trust your gut. Opportunities are created through unwavering confidence.
Q: How has J. Wood Platt changed your life?
A: Besides the monetary impact that the scholarship brought, allowing me to attend Drexel, J. Wood Platt changed my life through its many opportunities meant to empower the youth. I’ve also met numerous people through the program who have only wanted to see me succeed and made connections that will likely last a lifetime.
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.
