Amber Heun is a caddie, a Rufus King High School student, and is hearing impaired, but that isn’t stopping her from becoming an Evans Scholar at Blue Mound Country Club, helping her achieve her dreams.
“It's given me this satisfaction of being able to go to my dream college for free,” Heun said. “And, but it's so much more than that.”
In two months, Heun will graduate from high school and attend her dream school, UW-Madison, and she’ll be attending on a scholarship given to the top caddies in the country.
“I just had a friend who caddied here and he said ‘Hey, do you want to do this as a job?’,” she said. “And I didn't have a job at the time. So I was like sure, why not? I mean I know nothing about golf. But yeah, I'll take a chance.”
“One of my favorite parts about caddying is actually the people that I get to meet,” she also said. “I mean, the members at this club are some of the best businessmen like lawyers, doctors in the Milwaukee area. And just having those like connections, and being able to talk to those people who are successful, actually like propelled me forward.”
Heun admits being hearing impaired does make her focus more.
“Paying attention to people listening like, actively listening,” she said.
But it actually can make her better.
“My hearing impairment kind of has helped me be a better caddie because I'm so attentive to all different things around me,” Heun said. “Rather, and golf is like, I think it's more of like a visual sport.”
Heun wants to major in either material science or mechanical engineering.
“I always kind of ask the guys like hey, if you don't mind me asking...oh wow, that's so good for you,” she said.
In the frustrating game of golf, she’s already wise beyond her years.
“If they wanna talk to me, they will,” she said. “But if they don't, I'm just there for support.”
