Scholarships

Scholarship Opportunities

Paul Porter, former NCGA CEO

The NCGA Foundation has scholarship opportunities available to Northern California youth, the Youth on Course scholarship and the Paul Porter Memorial Scholarship. Scholarships are the final part of the NCGA Foundation’s continuum that includes clinics, life skills training, affordable course access and internships. Scholarship applications for 2012 will be posted by February 15.

2011 Scholarship Recipients

Over 175 applicants applied for scholarships this year, congratulations to this outstanding cohort!

Youth on Course Scholarship

The Youth on Course Scholarship is open to all northern California high school seniors who will attend a four-year college or university. The award is both merit-based and need based and will distribute $1,000 a year for four years of tuition support. A total of five scholarships have been awarded in 2011. The scholarship announcement is available here. We are proud to announce this year’s Youth on Course scholarship recipients!

Paul Porter Memorial Scholarship

The Paul Porter Memorial Scholarship is open to Monterey County high school seniors. The annual scholarship provides $5,000 in financial assistance to a deserving youth who will attend a four-year college or university. The scholarship announcement is available here.

Past Recipients

The NCGA Foundation announced the 2010 recipients of the Paul Porter Memorial Scholarship in late June, an award given in memory of late NCGA and Poppy Holding CEO Paul Porter. The award is both merit-based and need-based and is normally given to one deserving student, but due to the exemplary qualifications and needs of the candidates last year, another $5,000 scholarship was split between two additional young women.

The recipients of the 2010 Paul Porter Memorial Scholarship are:

• Veronica Zavala – Soledad (Santa Clara University)
• Taylor Dominguez – Salinas (Methodist University –North Carolina)
• Iyla Ollinger – Pacific Grove (UC Berkeley)

“Coming from a low-income family, I do not have the financial aid to cover my university education expenses, which is why the Paul Porter Memorial Scholarship is very important to me,” scholarship recipient Veronica Zavala said. “The Paul Porter Memorial Scholarship is an opportunity for me to cultivate my dream on these lands, lands where opportunities genuinely do exist everywhere one turns.”

Scholarship recipients faced a rigorous screening process evaluating, among other criteria, academic performance and character qualities and ideals Porter would have been proud of such as being self motivated, intelligent, hard working and having a sense of self and kindness.

The scholarship’s honor the late Paul Porter (1950 – 2006) who came to Poppy Hills in 1991 as general manager and was appointed CEO of the NCGA in 2004. Over the course of his 15 years of leadership the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am came to Poppy Hills, Poppy Ridge opened in Livermore and both courses developed a reputation for world-class golf at a great value. The Santa Clara alumnus loved a good joke and possessed an incredible knack for making people feel special. His natural ability to lead was enhanced by his legendary work ethic and commitment. A devoted family man, Porter’s greatest joy came from time spent with his family and enjoying the success of his children. The evaluation committee included Paul’s widow, Nettie Porter.

“Together with the support of the Porter family, we will continue to honor Paul by providing exceptional students the opportunity to continue their education, ” said Foundation Executive Director Adam Heieck.

Past winners of the Porter Scholarship:
2008: Kimberly Anderson – Scripps College
2009: Anyssa French – University of Montana