Three WCPSS High School Seniors Named 2008 Morehead-Cain Scholars
March 13, 2008 - Three Wake County Public School System high school seniors are among 79 students named 2008 Morehead-Cain Scholars at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The WCPSS students include:
- Shenise Nicole Gilyard of Southeast Raleigh High School, daughter of Deweese and Pamela Gilyard of Raleigh.
- William Harris Thomason of Cary High School, son of Marshall and Roberta Thomason of Cary.
- Alice HwaChuan Yen of Enloe High School, daughter of Tien-Shi and Laura Yen of Raleigh.
Among the largest and most competitive scholarship programs in the United States, the Morehead-Cain pays all expenses for four years of undergraduate study, including the cost of a laptop computer and four summer enrichment experiences. The value of the scholarship is about $80,000 for each student.
This year’s winners announced by the Morehead-Cain Foundation trustees were selected through a nomination and interview process that began last fall. More than 1,500 high school seniors were nominated by their high schools or applied for the Morehead-Cain.
From those nominees, the foundation and regional committees chose 140 finalists who were interviewed earlier this month in Chapel Hill. Selection criteria are leadership, academic achievement, moral force of character and physical vigor. Morehead-Cain recipients are chosen by merit and accomplishments, not financial need. Winners have until April 14 to accept the scholarship.
Instituted as the first non-athletic merit scholarship program in the country, the Morehead-Cain has evolved into an experiential learning program with lifelong expectations, Lovelace said. The distinguishing feature of the scholarship is its summer enrichment programs, which provide global hands-on leadership and problem-solving experiences in four areas: outdoor leadership, public service, private enterprise and international research.
The Morehead Scholarship and Morehead Foundation were renamed in February 2007 after the foundation received a $100 million grant from the Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation of Houston.
 Shenise Gilyard |
 Will Thomason |
 Alice Yen |
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