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Meet the Teen Who Turned Down a Full Ride to U. of I. ... To Go to U. of C.

 Allan Lake, 17, of Morgan Park, was awarded a Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship but turned it down on May 1 in favor of a full-ride scholarship to the University of Chicago.
Allan Lake, 17, of Morgan Park, was awarded a Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship but turned it down on May 1 in favor of a full-ride scholarship to the University of Chicago.
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DNAinfo/Howard A. Ludwig

MOUNT GREENWOOD — The plight of a hardworking teen carrying golf clubs while desperately working toward a college scholarship isn't just the plot of "Caddyshack."

Hundreds of applicants for a Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship have the same dream. This full tuition and housing college scholarship pays for more than 800 caddies across the country to attend school each year.

Allan Lake, of Morgan Park, was among the 2015 winners of the four-year scholarship from the Evans Scholars Foundation. Only Lake turned it down on May 1.

Lake, a senior at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences in Mount Greenwood, passed on the offer in favor of another full-ride scholarship to the University of Chicago.

 Allan Lake, 17, of Morgan Park, was offered a pair of full-ride college scholarships. The senior at the Chicago High School for Agricultural Sciences has opted to attend the University of Chicago through the QuestBridge program. He turned down the Chick Evans Caddie Scholarship to the University of Illinois.
Allan Lake
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"People get really excited when they find out I won the Chick Evans," Lake said. "Then I have to tell them I turned it down."

Lake, 17, passed on the scholarship in favor of a similar offer from QuestBridge, which pairs low-income students with elite universities throughout the country.

The decision for Lake came down to attending the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana as an Evans Scholar or enrolling at the University of Chicago through QuestBridge.

He opted for Hyde Park. Lake plans to study computer science at the U. of C. and expects to pursue a master's degree in mechanical engineering after his undergraduate studies.

Lake never wanted to take up two scholarship spots, but he wasn't sure if his QuestBridge scholarship would come through. Thus, he held onto his Evans Scholarship until his future was secure at the U. of C.

How did Lake land not just one but two full-ride scholarships? Well, he's been busy.

First, Lake has been active at the magnet high school in Mount Greenwood. He's participated in the Ag School's athletic teams including golf, soccer, bowling, football, swimming and water polo, as well as Future Farmers of America or FFA.

He's been busy off campus, too. Lake spent four years with a program called Leaders for Tomorrow that pairs young black teens interested in college with other successful black men as mentors.

Lake has also participated in the Museum of Science and Industry's Science Achievers program for the past four years, and he has studied at both the University of Notre Dame and California Polytechnic State University throughout the summer.

Despite being seemingly overbooked, Lake has never missed a day of school since kindergarten. That includes his elementary school years at the Keller Regional Gifted Center in Mount Greenwood.

But his attendance as a caddie at Flossmoor Country Club wasn't as perfect. Lake's summer studies kept him off the course at times, but he managed to make up for it later in the year.

"I worked every weekend the entire month of August, September and October," said Lake, adding that a typical weekend shift begins at 6:30 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.

Lake believes his busy schedule led to the scholarship offers. And QuestBridge also was encouraged by the clear direction he has for his career.

"You have to be active in the community," Lake said of the requirements for QuestBridge.

So clear is Lake in his career goals, he's even thought about a retirement plan. Lake hopes to return to the Ag School or another similar classroom someday as a teacher.

He hopes to inspire students in the same way his agriculture mechanics and technology teacher inspired him. Lake said he appreciates the farm-to-table approach of his soon-to-be alma mater.

"You are not only get to see ag in your life, but you see where it goes," Lake said.