TOWSON, Md. – Using his experience and platform as a former men's golfer at Towson University, John Hulede is now giving back.

Hulede, a 2017 Towson graduate, has formed the Hulede Collegiate Golf Scholarship. Any BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) high school senior or collegiate undergraduate player, and is a well rounded student-athlete may apply for the scholarship. 

During his sophomore year, Hulede was encouraged to play in what is now called the PGA Works Collegiate Championship by former head coach Brian Yaniger. While playing in that event, hosted that season at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Hulede began formulating a plan to help increase the number of minority golfers by assisting to remove barriers.

"I knew I wanted to find a way to serve as a mentor while also contributing to financial success," said Hulede. "From that core idea, the scholarship was born. I launched the 'Hulede Collegiate Golf Scholarship' at $1,000 for one winner, using my own savings at the end of March 2022."

Eventually, Hulede collected enough donations from family, friends, and a contribution match from Adobe company, Hulede finalized two scholarship winners, with potentially a third scholarship award, for the upcoming year with over $1,000 per winner.

At Towson, Hulede was one of the few minorities in program history. That presented its own challenges, navigating his identity in a white-majority sport. One such struggle was the mental health aspect, lacking a space or resource that included past minority collegiate golfers to talk about struggles and issues they previously navigated. 

"Tournaments like the PGA Works Collegiate Championship made me feel empowered because I was surrounded by people who looked like me and could relate to things I had experienced while trying to fit in during college," continued Hulede. "While we know for a lot of students including collegiate athletes part of the need is financial, we often don't discuss the importance of having mentorship in those who look like ourselves. If I would have won a scholarship like this, it would have meant not only gaining financial support, but also a lifelong mentor."

Using Bold.org as a platform for the scholarship, Hulede kept his focus on starting the scholarship, working towards the eventual goal of finishing the scholarship. Hulede kept a Denzel Washington quote top of mind during the initial phase: Without commitment, you'll never start, but most importantly, without consistency, you'll never finish.

Growing up in and playing around Prince George's County, programs like The First Tee and Enterprise Golf Course, Glenn Dale Golf Course and Country Club at Woodmore, Hulede had a chance to interact with older minority players that he could interact with, and learn from about succeeding in junior, high school and collegiate golf. 

"I want this scholarship to be a small token of the different ways minority golfers can continue to pay it forward after graduation and even serve as mentors to those pursuing collegiate careers," said Hulede. "After the winners are selected for this inaugural year and future years, my goals include serving as a mentor for each 'Hulede Collegiate Golf Scholarship' recipient and being a resource for them during and post collegiate career, whether it's entering the corporate world or pursuing a professional golf career."

Now Hulede is just two and a half months away from seeing his goal actualized as the inaugural winners of the Hulede Collegiate Golf Scholarship are announced on October 1.