Five WCPSS Seniors Named Morehead-Cain Scholars

May 10, 2011 - The Morehead-Cain Foundation selected five Wake County Public School System high school seniors as 2011 Morehead-Cain Scholars.

The scholarship covers all expenses for four years of undergraduate study at UNC, as well as four distinctive summer enrichment experiences. Scholars have the opportunity to complete an outdoor leadership course, carry out public service in the United States or abroad, conduct research at sites around the world and gain experience in private enterprise. The scholarship is valued at more than $90,000.

The five WCPSS students include Hussein A. Ahmad of the Wake Early College of Health and Sciences; Ioan Bolohan of Millbrook Magnet High; Ellen Corbitt Currin of Broughton High; Safiyah Munzer Ismail of Cary High; and Yasamin Ege Sanii of Enloe Magnet High.

Ahmad will graduate from the Wake Early College of Health and Sciences, where he is founder and president of the Fitness Club, vice president of the National Honor Society and a regular community volunteer at nearby WakeMed Hospital. Ahmad plays power forward on a recreational basketball team and has spent time job-shadowing a team of cardiovascular surgeons to learn more about careers in medicine.

Bolohan will graduate from Millbrook Magnet High, where he is president of the student executive board and a varsity runner on the school’s cross-country team. He is president of the Quiz Bowl, captain of the Brain Game team and a member of numerous service organizations. A musician, Bolohan learned piano early in life before moving on to clarinet. He is teaching himself to play the guitar.

Currin graduated from Broughton High, where she was yearbook editor, captain of the cross country team and president of Young Women for Women International, a service club that raises funds for and awareness of women’s issues across the world. She was a member of Broughton’s Class Council and a vocal leader of a campaign against proposed cuts to the school’s international baccalaureate program.

Ismail will graduate from Cary High, where she is president of the student body and captain of the women’s cross-country team. She is a longtime volunteer in local retirement homes and chair of the Cary Teen Council.

Sanii will graduate from Enloe Magnet High, where she is president of the student body and in the senior company of the Academy for the Performing Arts. She attended the North Carolina Governor’s School East for Dance and has worked summers as a dance instructor. Sanii serves the volunteer organization Helping Horse, a therapeutic riding program for individuals with disabilities, and cheers on Enloe’s athletic teams through their Eagle Club.

Selection criteria for the Morehead-Cain are leadership, academic achievement, moral force of character and physical vigor. Morehead-Cain recipients are chosen solely because of merit and accomplishment, not financial need.

The Morehead-Cain Foundation named 52 scholars this year with 27 from North Carolina high schools and 19 other US high schools. The class also will include three British and three Canadian scholars.

	Ioan Bolohan	Ellen Corbitt Currin
Safiyah Munzer Ismail	Yasamin Ege Sanii	Hussein A. Ahmad

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