News

February 2024
A monthly spotlight on a current NYSGA Scholarship recipient

JAMESVILLE, N.Y. -- Kyler Majka worked on the greens crew at Chautauqua Golf Club from 2019 to 2022. Early in the 2022 season and while in the middle of his junior year at the University of Pittsburgh – Bradford (Pitt-Bradford), Kyler applied and was approved for a New York State Golf Association Foundation Scholarship.

Related: Apply for a Scholarship / Current Recipients

In a recent reflection on his recommendation of Kyler, Trevor Burlingame, Golf Course Superintendent at Chautauqua said the following: “Kyler was part of the course maintenance staff family at Chautauqua Golf Club for four seasons. His dedication, hard work and ability to learn new jobs on the golf course were only outshined by who he is as a person. A kind, caring young man who exemplifies what every employer seeks. He has a bright future and will undoubtedly be a positive influence and role model as he enters his new role as an educator.” 

Kyler is from Mayville, NY and is a 2019 graduate of Chautauqua Lake Central School there. He spent three semesters at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse and then transferred to Pitt – Bradford. He graduated from Pitt – Bradford in December 2023 with a B.S. degree in Health and Physical Education. He was hired by Southwestern Central School in Lakewood, NY, to teach Health and Adaptive Physical Education in their Middle School before he finished his last semester of college and started in January. 

Kyler started at Onondaga Community College through an introduction to the baseball coach. He was a starting pitcher on the baseball team there and for his 3 years at Pitt – Bradford.  Because of his interest in athletics, he has the additional role of Junior-Varsity Girls Basketball coach at Southwestern High School. Further, he coaches a Buffalo-based age 15 and under youth travel baseball team that practices on weekends over the winter and travels to games in the summer. Finally, using his greenkeeping experience, he worked part-time last summer and intends to return this year to the grounds crew at Russell Dietrick, Jr. Park in Jamestown – the home of the Jamestown team in the Perfect Game College Baseball League. 

We are proud to have Kyler as a successful college graduate who we were able to help through the NYSGA Foundation’s Scholarship program. The program is available to employees of member clubs of the NYSGA who are in at least their second season at the club, are in good academic standing at their college and have a financial need. Once approved, scholarships are renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study. Since 2007, more than $400,000 in scholarships has been awarded.

The NYSGA Foundation would like to sincerely thank the members of Chautauqua Golf Club who have generously donated to our Scholarship Fund by supporting a Golf Marathon (100-hole challenge) in each of the last two years.

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If your golf club would like to know more about this program for employees, or help with fundraising, please contact Andrew Hickey at andrew@nysga.org.

The NYSGA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization.