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Note: Downloadable photos of all winners are available by clicking here.

40 outstanding high school seniors are named Morehead Scholars

CHAPEL HILL -- Forty young leaders from high schools across the nation and Great Britain – including 22 from North Carolina -- have been named Morehead Scholars at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Among the largest and most competitive scholarship programs in the United States, the Morehead pays all expenses for four years of undergraduate study, including costs of a laptop computer and four summer enrichment programs. The value of the Morehead is approximately $72,000 for each in-state student and $120,000 for each out-of-state student.

The winners, announced today (March 7) by trustees of the John Motley Morehead Foundation, were selected through a nomination and interview process that began last fall, when approximately 1,500 high school seniors were nominated in the United States and Great Britain.

From those nominees, the foundation chose 68 in-state finalists, 49 out-of-state finalists and three finalists from schools in Great Britain. The process concluded with interviews of 120 finalists in Chapel Hill Monday and Tuesday (March 3-4).

The winners have until April 15 to accept the Morehead. Those accepting will enroll as freshmen next fall.

Selection criteria are leadership, academic achievement, moral force of character and physical vigor. Recipients are chosen by merit and accomplishments, not financial need.

"These are dynamic young leaders who are looking for a challenge," said Charles E. Lovelace Jr., executive director of the Morehead Foundation. "That eagerness to give to others and to their communities is what we are seeking in Morehead candidates. It’s more important than the positions they’ve held or whether they have perfect test scores and grades."

Established in 1951 as the first non-athletic merit-based scholarship program in the country, the Morehead has evolved into an experiential learning program with lifelong expectations, Lovelace said.

"The Morehead provides young leaders with the tools to create an extraordinary life: a top-notch education at a leading university; a network of enterprising peer scholars on campus and 2,500 alumni mentors; international travel and internships; and a lifelong challenge to do more good for the world around them than they do for themselves."

The extensive summer enrichment programs provide global hands-on leadership and problem-solving experiences in four areas: outdoor leadership, public service, enterprise and international research. The scholars are expected to make significant contributions to the university community in their areas of talent and interest and to continue to contribute to their communities as Morehead alumni.

Currently, 220 Morehead Scholars study on campus, making outstanding contributions in many areas of university life. For example, Morehead Scholars in Carolina’s classes of 2001 and 2002 included editors of four campus publications; the student attorney general; vice president of the student body; presidents of two honorary societies; president of the Clef Hangers, an a cappella group; the founder of the UNC Dance Marathon, the university’s largest student-run charity fund raiser; and a Phi Beta Kappa president.

These classes also produced two Luce Scholars and UNC’s first recipient of the George J. Mitchell Scholarship for graduate work in Ireland. In the past decade, nine Morehead Scholars have won Harry S. Truman Scholarships and five have won Fulbright Scholarships. All are highly competitive national programs for graduate scholarships. In December, Morehead Scholar Karine Dubé became UNC’s 21^st Rhodes Scholar since 1962, 18 of whom were Morehead Scholars.

For more information about the Morehead, visit the foundation's site on the World Wide Web, http://www.moreheadfoundation.org, or call the foundation at 919-962-1201.

The 2003 Morehead winners are listed below, alphabetically by North Carolina county, state and country. Winners listed in more than one place are noted with an asterisk.

Allyson Me'Lynda Pritchett from Enka High School, daughter of Edith and Theodore Pritchett of Candler.

Dax Thattacunnel Varkey from Chatham Central High School, son of Ann and Rollo Varkey of Pittsboro.

Ashley Marie Holloway from Terry Sanford Senior High School, daughter of Myra and O.C. Holloway of Fayetteville.

Maile Cathleen Lesica from Terry Sanford Senior High School, daughter of Catherine and John Lesica of Fayetteville.

Alexandra Louise Argiroff from Manteo High School, daughter of Kathleen and Alexander Argiroff of Kill Devil Hills.

*Casey Murrell Oakley from Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point, daughter of Donna and Clifford Oakley of Gibsonville.

Brian Isaac Wright from Westchester Academy in High Point, son of Caryn and Carl Wright of High Point.

Jonathan David McNeill from Riverside High School, son of Diana and David McNeill of Durham.

Glenn Michael Brandys from Highland School of Technology in Gastonia, son of Kathy-Anne and J. Christopher Brandys of Belmont.

Quinton Antione Harper from Greene Central High School, son of Debra Yancy of Snow Hill.

Jennifer Ellen Cimaglia from Northwest Guilford High School, daughter of Ellen and John Cimaglia of Summerfield.

*Casey Murrell Oakley from Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point, daughter of Donna and Clifford Oakley of Gibsonville.

*Nina Cabell Belk from Groton School in Groton, Mass., daughter of Nina and H.W. McKay Belk of Charlotte.

Thomas Elias Cluderay from Charlotte Country Day School, son of Randi B. Edmiston and Thomas Cluderay of Charlotte.

Amanda Woollen Shintay from Myers Park High School, daughter of Mary and Peter Shintay of Charlotte.

Nicholas Boddie Mosley from Rocky Mount Academy, son of Anne and Michael Mosley of Rocky Mount.

Niti Sheth from John T. Hoggard High School, daughter of Jaya and Sam Sheth of Wilmington.

Anna Victoria Evans from Lumberton Senior High School, daughter of Jeanette and Samuel Evans of Fairmont.

Mark Christopher McIntyre from Fairmont High School, son of Gloria and John McIntyre of Fairmont.

Damian Anthony Cannon from Needham B. Broughton High School, son of Hazel and Howard Cannon of Raleigh.

Zachary Scott Clayton from Needham B. Broughton High School, son of Mary and Jack Clayton of Raleigh.

Erika Marie Stallings from Eastern Wayne High School, daughter of Samanthia Lee of Goldsboro.

Mary Gordon Fesperman from Wilkes Central Senior High School, daughter of Sarah and Joseph Fesperman of North Wilkesboro.

Adam Thomas Ricketts from Wilkes Central Senior High School, son of Nay and Robert Ricketts of North Wilkesboro.

Michael Broukhim from Buckley School in Sherman Oaks, son of Linda and Bijan Broukhim of Encino.

John Keegan de Lancie from Polytechnic School in Pasdena, son of Marnie Mosiman and John de Lancie of South Pasadena.

Eileen Pan from John Marshall Fundamental Secondary School in Pasedena, daughter of Julia and Kon Pan of Pasadena.

Allison Simone Boothe from Pine Crest School in Fort Lauderdale, daughter of Pauline Grant of Margate.

*Elizabeth Greenwood Petter from Deerfield Academy in Deerfield, Mass., daughter of Leslie and William Petter of Atlanta.

*Nina Cabell Belk from Groton School, daughter of Nina and H.W. McKay Belk of Charlotte, N.C.

*Elizabeth Greenwood Petter from Deerfield Academy, daughter of Leslie and William Petter of Atlanta.

Sikanyiselwe Sipo Stembele Maqubela from Phillips Academy in Andover, son of Vuyelwa Mpho and Temba Tebogo Maqubela of Andover.

Matthew Patrick Morris from Gilman School in Baltimore, son of Nicolette and Francis Morris of Lutherville.

Michigan

David Adetokunbo Williams from Cranbrook Kingswood School in Bloomfield Hills, son of Maureen Schwartzhoff and David Williams of Southfield.

Samuel Harris Altman from John Burroughs School in St. Louis, son of Connie Gibstine and Jerold Altman of St. Louis.

Joel Thomas Sutherland from Westside High School, son of Kimberly and Kenneth Sutherland of Omaha.

*Jessica Kathleen Polka from The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, daughter of Waltraud and Philip Polka of Lahaska, Pa.

*Jessica Kathleen Polka from The Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, N.J., daughter of Waltraud and Philip Polka of Lahaska.

Joshua Sims Patterson from Hammond School, son of Pamela and Willie Patterson of Hopkins.

Philip Carrington Blackett from Memphis University School, son of Carolyn and Melrose Blackett of Germantown.

Benjamin Joshua Lundin from University School of Nashville, son of Linda and Keith Lundin of Nashville.

James McLeod Skelton from St. John's School, son of Emily and Barnet Skelton of Houston.

Alastair Michael McKeever from Shrewsbury School (Shropshire, England), son of Alison McKeever of Shropshire.

Heather Oliver from Wellington College (Berkshire, England), daughter of Janet and William Oliver of Warwickshire, England.

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Contacts:

For additional details about the Morehead or the Morehead Foundation, the selection process or the winners, check the Web site www.moreheadfoundation.org or call Charles E. Lovelace, foundation executive director, 919-962-1201 by 5 p.m. today. This weekend he can be reached at 919-929-9664.

For help with the receipt of information, call L.J. Toler of News Services at 919-962-8589 or 919-962-2091. After 5 p.m. today (March 7), call 919-219-6374 or page 919-216-2584. This release is online at www.unc.edu/news/.