My name is Awesome Burnett and I am a black junior golfer. And yes, Awesome is my real name. My parents remind me daily that, no matter what is happening, each day that I wake up I am Awesome. I have no other choice. In my worst and best moments, Awesome is not just the epitome of me. it's also the foundation for everything I will be. But my goal in life is to make life awesome for others. I have been playing in golf tournaments since I was six years old. I have competed from the local to international level in my junior golf career. I have captained my PGA Jr. League team, captained my high school golf team (playing Varsity all four years), and will now play collegiate golf at San Jose State University in the Fall of 2024. Golf has always been an integral part and focal point in my life. In fact, golf has been the most influential part of my life as well. Beyond the skills I have acquired that are necessary to physically play the sport, I have learned the essential character traits that golf requires. Integrity, honesty, leadership, grit, perseverance, confidence, patience, and emotional stability are some of the most important qualities that I have developed to carry me throughout my successful junior golf career. But beyond golf, these qualities have helped form who I am as a human. As I experience life in all areas, I am able to apply these character traits in various settings and interactions. This has led to my advocacy for minority diversity and financial opportunities in the sport that I love so much. I have often been identified as "the black kid" in junior golf. It is no secret that the sport is overwhelmingly populated with people who do not look like me and do not come from backgrounds similar to mine. Even when I excelled in international-level tournaments, my family and I have been met with looks and conversations of confusion. Like, how can a black kid get here and be this good? Throughout the years, my family and I have shown that hard work and dedication can outperform entitlement and big wallets. I didn't grow up on a country club. My parents had to work extra jobs to afford my passion. We had to drive across the country instead of flying sometimes. We stayed in cheaper hotels further away from the resorts the tournaments are held at, which meant waking up earlier for tee times and not fitting in with others who attended the social events usually held at the resorts. But as I continued to make strides through the sport, I made connections with others that grew into a movement. It started with our families traveling together or staying with others who lived in locations close to tournaments to save money. We advanced to sharing connections to coaches/camps for skills improvement, golf companies for clothing and equipment, and even our time to take other junior golfers to practices and tournaments when their families couldn't take the time off work. We nurtured a movement that cultivated organizations geared towards the success of black golfers. In fact, it may not have been possible for me to have the opportunity to play golf at a Division 1 University if not for the "boots to the ground" work we put in. I have been fortunate to be a part of organizations that emphasize the qualities that the game of golf teaches, along with incorporating what I have learned through my personal journey. These organizations give me the platform to pass on this information to the next generation. For the past four years, I have been involved with the Cameron Champ Foundation. This foundation aims at furthering the sport and advancing opportunities for black and minority golfers and allows me to give back to my community in ways that I needed as I competed throughout my junior golf career. The Cameron Champ Foundation has given me many great opportunities and connections with golfers, coaches, and mentors that will continue to help guide me as I navigate through collegiate golf. I plan to continue working with the foundation and to use my opportunities to open doors for younger golfers that compete in their annual tournament for minority junior golfers. I would love to have the opportunity to give back to them in this influential and important way. I currently also caddy for younger golfers through a nonprofit organization called Caddies for Kids. It allows me help mentor aspiring golfers by caddying for them during local tournaments. Through this, I have caddied for about 10 junior golfers. I have been able to guide them and their families through both tough and enjoyable tournament play experiences, giving me the opportunity to teach them skills that they will hopefully take with them both on and off the course. It has been rewarding to share my experiences in golf with them and to show them that hard work and dedication can pave the road from struggle to success. It would be a tremendous honor to receive the Jonas Griffith Scholarship and have the opportunity to be able to represent the future of golf. My family and I have worked on the personal level and community level to bridge gaps and mentor younger golfers and their families, guiding them through practices, competitions, and connections that will further the game as the world continues to grow. I hope that by receiving this scholarship, I will have the chance to break down barriers for other people of color looking to enter in this amazing game. Over the years as I competed in golf tournaments on various levels, it was rare to find other golfers that my family and I could identify with. This made it even more difficult to connect with older role models and mentors that could help my family navigate the unique struggles we face in this sport. My hope is that this scholarship allows me to become part of the growing group of minority collegiate golfers to mentor aspiring younger minority golfers to continue playing the game at the collegiate level and beyond. And to be awesome everyday.

Golf has always been an integral part and focal point in my life. In fact, golf has been the most influential part of my life as well. I have been playing in golf tournaments since I was six years old. I have competed from the local to international level in junior golf career. I have captained my PGA Jr. League team, captained my high school golf team (playing Varsity all four years), and will now play collegiate golf at San Jose State University in the Fall of 2024. Beyond the skills I have acquired that are necessary to physically play the sport, I have learned the essential character traits that golf requires. Integrity, honesty, leadership, grit, perseverance, confidence, patience, and emotional stability are some of the most important qualities that I have developed to carry me throughout my successful junior golf career. But beyond golf, these qualities have helped form who I am as a human. As I experience life in all areas, I am able to apply these character traits in various settings and interactions. I have been fortunate to be a part of organizations that emphasize these qualities and encourage me to pass on this information to the next generation. For the past four years, I have been involved with the Cameron Champ Foundation. This foundation aims at furthering the sport and advancing opportunities for black and minority golfers and allows me to give back to my community in ways that I needed as I competed throughout my junior golf career. CCF has given me many great opportunities and connections with golfers, coaches, and mentors that will continue to help guide me as I navigate through collegiate golf. I plan to continue working with CCF and to use my opportunities to open doors for younger golfers that compete in their annual tournament for minority junior golfers. I would love to have the opportunity to give back to them in this influential and important way. I also caddy for younger golfers through a nonprofit organization called Caddies for Kids. It allows me help mentor aspiring golfers by caddying for them during local tournaments. Through this, I have caddied for about 10 junior golfers. I have been able to guide them and their families through both tough and enjoyable tournament play experiences, giving me the opportunity to teach them skills that they will hopefully take with them both on and off the course. It would be a tremendous honor to receive the Ken Landry Memorial Scholarship and have the opportunity to be able to represent the future of golf. My family and I have worked on the personal level and community level to bridge gaps and mentor younger golfers and their families, guiding them through practices, competitions, and connections that will further the game as the world continues to grow. I hope that by receiving this scholarship, I will have the chance to break down barriers for other people of color looking to enter in this amazing game. Over the years as I competed in golf tournaments on various levels, it was rare to find other golfers that my family and I could identify with. This made it even more difficult to connect with older role models and mentors that could help my family navigate the unique struggles we face in this sport. My hope is that this scholarship allows me to become part of the growing group of minority collegiate golfers to mentor aspiring younger minority golfers to continue playing the game at the collegiate level and beyond. I want to show them all that WE can do anything!

Golf has always been an integral part and focal point in my life. In fact, golf has been the most influential part of my life as well. I have been playing in golf tournaments since I was six years old. I have competed from the local to international level in junior golf career. I have captained my PGA Jr. League team, captained my high school golf team (playing Varsity all four years), and will now play collegiate golf at San Jose State University in the Fall of 2024. Beyond the skills I have acquired that are necessary to physically play the sport, I have learned the essential character traits that golf requires. Integrity, honesty, leadership, grit, perseverance, confidence, patience, and emotional stability are some of the most important qualities that I have developed to carry me throughout my successful junior golf career. But beyond golf, these qualities have helped form who I am as a human. As I experience life in all areas, I am able to apply these character traits in various settings and interactions. I have been fortunate to be a part of organizations that emphasize these qualities and encourage me to pass on this information to the next generation. For the past four years, I have been involved with the Cameron Champ Foundation. This foundation aims at furthering the sport and advancing opportunities for black and minority golfers and allows me to give back to my community in ways that I needed as I competed throughout my junior golf career. CCF has given me many great opportunities and connections with golfers, coaches, and mentors that will continue to help guide me as I navigate through collegiate golf. I plan to continue working with CCF and to use my opportunities to open doors for younger golfers that compete in their annual tournament for minority junior golfers. I would love to have the opportunity to give back to them in this influential and important way. I also caddy for younger golfers through a nonprofit organization called Caddies for Kids. It allows me help mentor aspiring golfers by caddying for them during local tournaments. Through this, I have caddied for about 10 junior golfers. I have been able to guide them and their families through both tough and enjoyable tournament play experiences, giving me the opportunity to teach them skills that they will hopefully take with them both on and off the course. It would be a tremendous honor to receive the Samuel D Hartley Memorial Scholarship and have the opportunity to be able to represent the future of golf. My family and I have worked on the personal level and community level to bridge gaps and mentor younger golfers and their families, guiding them through practices, competitions, and connections that will further the game as the world continues to grow. I hope that by receiving this scholarship, I will have the chance to break down barriers for other people of color looking to enter in this amazing game. Over the years as I competed in golf tournaments on various levels, it was rare to find other golfers that my family and I could identify with. This made it even more difficult to connect with older role models and mentors that could help my family navigate the unique struggles we face in this sport. My hope is that this scholarship allows me to become part of the growing group of minority collegiate golfers to mentor aspiring younger minority golfers to continue playing the game at the collegiate level and beyond.

My invovlement in community service is specifically in minority junior golf. I have competed in golf tournaments for over 12 years and will play at San Jose State University. I have worked with the Cameron Champ Foundation, aimed at furthering and advancing opportunities for black/minority golfers. The great opportunities and connections with golfers, coaches, and mentors are continuing to guide me into collegiate golf. Through CCF, I will continue to mentor minority golfers who compete in tournaments and give back in ways that I needed throughout my junior golf career. I have also caddied for about 10 younger golfers through the nonprofit organization Caddies for Kids. I have guided golfers through both tough and enjoyable tournament play experiences, teaching them skills to use both on and off the course. Representation and diversity in golf is important. It was rare to find golfers that I could identify with, which made it even more difficult to connect with older role models and mentors to help my family navigate the unique struggles we face in this sport. As a member of the growing group of minority collegiate golfers, my hope is to mentor golfers to continue playing at the collegiate level and beyond.

I believe extracurricular activities are important to character development in high school students. Yet, I currently have not been able to participate in any extracurricular activities outside of golf due to my intense practice and tournament schedule, in addition to my schoolwork. However within golf, beyond playing, I regularly caddy for younger golfers through a nonprofit organization called Caddies for Kids. It allows me help mentor aspiring golfers by caddying for them during local tournaments. Through this organization, I have met and caddied for about 10 junior golfers. I have been able to guide them through both tough and enjoyable tournament play experiences, giving me the opportunity to teach them skills that they will hopefully take with them both on and off the course. At San Jose State University, I am currently planning to study International Business. However I’m strongly considering switching to Computer Science or another major in the tech field. I’ve always been interested in computers and how they work. I’ve taken multiple computer science classes in high school and have learned many impressive skills in regards to this field. The location of the college I will be attending, San Jose State University, is the perfect environment for career opportunities in either of these fields. I also strongly believe that the representation of people of color in both international business and computer science is very important as we move towards more digitalized and interconnected world. During college and beyond, I will give back to my community through organizations geared towards helping young golfers in ways that I needed as I competed throughout my junior golf career. I plan on working with the Cameron Champ Foundation and to use my opportunities to help open doors for the younger golfers that compete in their annual tournament for minority junior golfers. This foundation has given me many great opportunities and connections with golfers, coaches, and mentors that will continue to help guide me as I navigate through collegiate golf. I would love to have the opportunity to give gack to them in this influential and important way. It would be a tremendous honor to receive the Hulede Collegiate Golf scholarship and have the opportunity to be able to represent people of color in golf. I hope that by receiving this scholarship, I will have the chance to break down barriers for other people of color looking to enter in this amazing game. This is especially important to me for the future of diversity in golf. Over the years as I competed in golf tournaments on various levels, it was rare to find other golfers that my family and I could identify with. This made it even more difficult to connect with older role models and mentors that could help my family navigate the unique struggles we face in this sport. My hope is that this scholarship allows me to become part of the growing group of minority collegiate golfers to mentor aspiring younger minority golfers to continue playing the game at the collegiate level and beyond.