ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 28, 2014) – The MGA Foundation’s cornerstone internship program, GOLFWORKS, provides meaningful summer working experiences at Met Area clubs to more than 200 deserving high school students each year. Now in its 20th year, the success of the GOLFWORKS program can be attributed to the willingness of MGA member clubs to hire very deserving teenagers, many of whom have never considered working at a golf club, like second-year intern Josu Trevejo, who works at Bonnie Briar Country Club in Larchmont, N.Y.
Trevejo, 17, recently graduated from White Plains High School, where he played on the Tigers varsity football team as a guard. He will be attending SUNY Albany in the fall, where he will study accounting. He works in outside services under the supervision of Bonnie Briar Caddie Master Steve Lepore. His responsibilities include setting up the range, cleaning members’ clubs, and maintaining a fleet of golf carts.
“The White Plains Youth Bureau told me that the MGA Foundation had opportunities to work at golf courses through GOLFWORKS,” said Trevejo. “I’ve never played golf before, but I saw this as a great opportunity to learn about the sport so I decided to interview. “
Trevejo made an immediate impact and has never looked back despite having to commit to early golf course hours.
“Waking up early to get here before the members to have the range, carts and bags set up for them before they arrive is definitely the hardest part of the job,” he said. “But everyone is very friendly and I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of people and learn a lot about golf and the industry.
All things considered, Trevejo is enjoying his experience and keeps in mind that what he’s learned through his GOLFWORKS internship. “Working at Bonnie Briar, I have learned that time management is very important. Sometimes I need to be ready to work at 6:30am. It helps me stay organized.”
While working at Bonnie Briar, Trevejo, was influenced Bonnie Briar’s Head Golf Professional, Frank Mattei. “Frank and I talked and he said I should consider accounting or economics because there are a lot of jobs available. So I took his advice and did some research and decided to go with accounting.” Mattei and Lepore have become role models to Trevejo, who considers networking with members and co-workers as one of the best parts of his job.
“I’m having fun and enjoying work here at Bonnie Briar, they treat me really well,” Trevejo said. “And I hope that my hard work will one day lead to success in other areas of my life.”
Click here for more information about the GOLFWORKS program.
By David Hodges
