ELMSFORD, N.Y. (July 11, 2024) – The MGA Foundation is pleased to announce Joshua Hamilton Smith of The Bronx, New York, as the third recipient of the Jay Mottola Scholarship (JMS). Hamilton Smith is a caddie at Wykagyl Country Club in New Rochelle, N.Y., a peer tutor with First Tee Metropolitan New York, and will enter his first year at Savannah College of Art and Design this fall.
Launched in 2018 to celebrate the longtime former MGA executive director Jay Mottola and his dedication to youth caddie initiatives, the JMS is a significant scholarship available for four years of undergraduate study. The JMS is awarded to an exceptional young man or woman who caddies or works in service to golf in the Met Area and is eligible under the criteria of the Long Island Caddie Scholarship Fund, the MGA Caddie Scholarship Fund, and the NJSGA Caddie Scholarship Fund. The JMS is the most significant scholarship awarded by the MGA Foundation and the local caddie scholarship funds work together to identify and select the recipients.
“This means more than I can put into words,” says Hamilton Smith. “First, receiving this scholarship filled me with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude; the fact that I was chosen out of an applicant pool of dozens made me feel seen and appreciated, like the work I had been putting in was significant and valued outside of myself and my family.”
Related: About the Jay Mottola Scholarship | Support the JMS
“My family and I are thrilled that Joshua Hamilton Smith is our JMS recipient,” said Jay Mottola. “He stood out among an outstanding group of candidates, which made this year’s decision very difficult, as all six finalists were terrific young men and women.”
Hamilton Smith, the youngest of five children, intends to major in Fine Arts Illustration and Design. He graduated from The Dalton School in 2024, where he was a co-chairperson of the Black Student Union. Since 2022, Hamilton Smith has been a peer tutor with the First Tee program at Mosholu Golf Course in the Bronx and a caddie at Wykagyl. Hamilton Smith intends to return to Wykagyl in the summers to continue caddieing. The Bronx native also worked as a community organizer with Volunteer Initiative and as a summer intern at Assemblyman Kevin Riley’s office throughout high school. Hamilton Smith is also an independent artist who has completed commissioned pieces.
“After gleaning as much as I can from my SCAD experience, I plan to become a self-employed artist who makes commissioned pieces for customers, is hired by companies to work on various creative projects, and I just want to have the skill set to create and learn how to create everything that my mind and heart desires,” said Hamilton Smith. “I will continue to use my art to develop my relationship with myself and my connection to the world around me. I want to create an occupation I genuinely enjoy while inspiring the world to embrace their authentic selves and tap into their unique powers of creation, manifestation, and imagination.”
“Josh blew us away in his interview. I’m pleased that besides caddieing at Wykagyl, he participated in the First Tee program at Mosholu,” said Mottola. “Youth caddieing and First Tee Metropolitan New York are two initiatives I am passionate about, so having a recipient like Josh who is involved in both is very gratifying.”
“The committee was impressed by this year’s candidates, their commitment to excel in school, and determination to make their mark on the world” said Johanna Gavin, director of the MGA Foundation. “They credited a lot of their leadership qualities to skills honed working in golf!”
The first two recipients of the Jay Mottola Scholarship, Sam Masters (2020) and Eikoh Hayashi (2022), have both graduated college and have started their professional careers. Hayashi earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics from the University of North Dakota, graduating with honors and Magna Cum Laude. He is pursuing a career in aviation. Masters graduated with a degree in economics from SUNY Binghamton and works for Odyssey Retail Advisors, a consulting and brokerage firm specializing in high-end retail real estate.
The MGA Foundation is proud to celebrate the contributions of Jay Mottola and make a meaningful impact on the lives of young men and women in the Met Area like Masters, Hayashi, and Hamilton Smith.
