Thirty high school graduates have accepted invitations to become Robertson Scholars, receiving undergraduate merit scholarships to attend either the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or Duke University.
This year’s class hails from 17 states and six different countries, representing a plethora of backgrounds and global views.
The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program invests in young leaders who strive to make transformational contributions to society. Scholars are selected based on students’ demonstration of outstanding academic achievement, intellectual curiosity, force of moral character, purposeful leadership and collaborative spirit.
The Robertson Program’s financial benefits include full tuition, room and board and mandatory fees for four years of undergraduate study, in addition to three summers of domestic and international experiences.
Robertson Scholars enroll at one university while receiving student privileges at both Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill, including opportunities to pursue second majors and minors, enroll in courses and participate in student activities. During the academic year, the Robertson Program provides customized offerings designed to enable Scholars to realize their full leadership potential.
The Robertson Program was created in 2000 through a $24 million gift from Julian Robertson, a 1955 graduate of UNC, and his wife, Josie. Inspired by their sons — one of whom graduated from Duke in 1998, and another from UNC in 2001 — the Robertsons believed that each institution offered a distinctive undergraduate experience, but that the combination of the two promised a breadth and depth of resources that no other university could match.
The Robertson alumni network consists of approximately 300 leaders on six continents, linked together by a common goal to make positive and palpable contributions to their communities.
Scholars at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (name, high school and hometown):
Kenya
Ian Muriuki, African Leadership Academy of Nairobi
Venezuela
Andre Domingues, Escuela Campo Alegre, Caracas
United States
Florida
Persis Bhadha, Cooper City High School, Cooper City
Georgia
Diandra Dwyer, Alan C. Pope High School, Roswell
Kentucky
Andrew Brennen, Paul Laurence Dunbar High School, Lexington
New Jersey
Snehal Parikh, Union County Academy for Allied Health Sciences, Rahway
New Mexico
Alexandra Hehlen, Los Alamos High School, Los Alamos
New York
Claire Boyd, Hunter College High School, New York
North Carolina
McNair Mitchener, Charlotte Country Day School, Charlotte
Ohio
Olivia Linn, Wyoming High School, Cincinnati
Eric Qian, Upper Arlington High School, Columbus
Pennsylvania
Caitlin Rosica, Archbishop Wood High School, Jamison
South Carolina
Rimel Mwamba, Spring Valley High School, Blythewood
Tennessee
Maire Amlicke, Father Ryan High School, Nashville
Washington
Philip Howard, Central Valley High School, Veradale
Scholars at Duke University:
Australia
Matthew Waller, Marcellin College Randwick, Coogee
England
Henrik Cox, Abingdon School, Oxfordshire
Joshua Neuhaus, St. Paul’s School, London
New Zealand
Benjamin Ayto, Wellington College, Wellington
Nigeria
Ogechi Onyeka, African Leadership Academy, Ebute Metta
United States
Colorado
Chinmay Pandit, Fossil Ridge High School, Fort Collins
Florida
Sydney McAuliffe, Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts, West Palm Beach
Miriam Singer, Coral Reef Senior High School, Miami
Indiana
Philip Moss, John Adams High School, South Bend
Montana
Kya Sorli, Billings Central Catholic High School, Billings
New Jersey
Michelle Moffa, Holy Spirit High School, Linwood
New Mexico
*Maya Durvasala, Albuquerque Academy, Albuquerque
Oregon
Elizabeth Zhao, Jesuit High School, West Linn
Virginia
Matthew King, Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, Henrico
Jackson Skeen, Cape Henry Collegiate School, Virginia Beach
*Chosen in 2013, deferred admission until this year.
Published May 14, 2014.