Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation announces 2019 scholarship winners

The Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation announced today the recipients of two new scholarships for students in southcentral Wisconsin: Cassidy Schnell and Brian Semmann. Cassidy and Brian will each receive a $10,000 scholarship ($2,500 per year up to a total of four years).

This is the first year of the scholarship program, and each year two deserving local high school seniors who meet certain criteria and live in the Wisconsin counties of Dane or Rock will be awarded scholarships to help reach their educational goals.

Cassidy Schnell is a 2019 graduate of DeForest High School and will attend St. Olaf College in Minnesota to study Spanish, German, and film, as well as continue her golf career. She started playing golf at age 10 and loves the game.

During her freshman year of high school, there was no girls’ team, so she joined the boys’ team. She said her experience playing golf through The First Tee of South Central Wisconsin shaped her golf career as a whole, and gave her the skills to be a confident leader.

She surrounds herself with golf in many other aspects of her life. She works at a country club, mentors others through The First Tee, and was their Youth Advisory Council's president for two years. She also volunteers every year at the American Family Insurance Championship. She considers being the recipient of one of the Foundation scholarships “a tremendous honor.”

Brian Semmann recently graduated from McFarland High School. In high school he played golf and basketball. He was also active in DECA, jazz band and a member of the National Honor Society.

As captain of the golf team, he was a three-year varsity letter winner, achieved First Team All-Conference honors for the Rock Valley conference and qualified for sectionals. Brian was also a two-year varsity letter winner in basketball. In addition, he was awarded the John Phillip Sousa award for outstanding musicianship and dedication to music.

Brian is attending the University of Wisconsin-Madison to study computer science and engineering and will participate in the marching band.

AmFam Champ proceeds fund scholarship program

The new scholarship program is funded with proceeds from the PGA TOUR Champions American Family Insurance Championship distributed through the Foundation. Since 2016 when the inaugural tournament was held, more than $4.7 million in proceeds has been donated through more than 185 grants.

Scholarship criteria

Scholarship applicants had to be high school seniors and earn at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale, and demonstrated participation in the game of golf through competitive participation, recreational participation, employment at a golf course or golf retailer, caddying at a golf course, and/or by volunteering at a golf tournament. They must also have displayed exemplary character, leadership and community service, along with other requirements.

The Scholarship application process was administered by a third party, Scholarship America.

All proceeds from the 2019 PGA TOUR Champions American Family Insurance Championship will once again be designated for charitable giving. This year’s play took place June 21-23 at University Ridge Golf Course in Madison. For more information visit the tournament website.

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About Steve Stricker American Family Insurance Foundation
Established in 2013 when Steve Stricker became a brand ambassador for American Family Insurance, the mission of the foundation is to inspire and develop strong families and healthy kids so they can pursue their dreams. The foundation supports organizations that produce tangible outcomes that align with this mission. Web: www.amfamchampionship.com/foundation-and-charities/; Twitter: @StrickerFNDN