Twenty-nine high school graduates have accepted invitations to become Robertson Scholars, receiving scholarships for either UNC-Chapel Hill or Duke University.
The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program (RSLP) invests in young leaders who strive to make transformational contributions to society. This year’s class hails from 12 states and six different countries, representing a plethora of backgrounds and global views.
RSLP provides specialized offerings and customized programming meant to encourage students to realize their full leadership potential. The program funds tuition, room and board, fees and up to three summers of domestic and international experiences. Robertson Scholars matriculate at one institution while having access to the academic and extracurricular resources of both campuses.
The 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.
Since then, the program has graduated hundreds of leaders who are innovating across industries and communities around the globe.
Scholars at UNC-Chapel Hill:
Hunter Baehren, Toledo, Ohio (Sylvania Southview High School)
Brent Comstock, Auburn, Neb. (Auburn Senior High School)
Mark Dawson, Madison, Miss. (Madison Central High School)
Kassra Homaifar, Greensboro, N.C. (Grimsley High School)
Shafali Jalota, Silver Spring, Md. (National Cathedral School)
Frank Jiang, Edison, N.J. (John P. Stevens High School)
Monique LaBorde, Hendersonville, N.C. (Hendersonville High School)
Jaclyn Lee, Newbury Park, Calif. (Newbury Park High School)
Jacob Oliffe, Strathfield, Australia (Trinity Grammar School)
Sumeet Patwardhan, Chandler, Ariz. (Corona del Sol High School)
Arjun Raghavan, Chapel Hill, N.C. (Chapel Hill High School)
David Spratte, Decatur, Ga. (Saint Pius X Catholic High School)
Nate Wagner, Princeton, N.J. (Mercer Hill Academy)
Savannah Wooten, Chandler, Ariz. (Corona del Sol High School)
Scholars at Duke University:
Graham Adeson, London, England (Harrow School)
Chinyere Amanze, Baltimore, Md. (Bryn Mawr School for Girls)
Mark Botterill, London, England (St. Paul’s School for Boys)
Maya Durvasula*, Albuquerque, N.M. (Albuquerque Academy)
Rachel Freedman, Apex, N.C. (Enhanced Learning School)
Nicholas Johnston, Wollstonecraft, Australia (Sydney Church of England Grammar School)
Kasper Kubica, South Ogden, Utah (West High School)
Tierney Maray, Maroubra, Australia (St. Clare’s College Waverley)
Charlotte McKay, Timaru, New Zealand (Timaru Girls’ High School)
Anna Mukamal, Cary, N.C. (Cary Academy)
Sanmi Oyenuga, Obafemi Owode, Nigeria (African Leadership Academy)
Sofia Stafford, New York, N.Y. (The Hewitt School)
Andrew Tan-Delli Cicchi, Wadestown, New Zealand (Wellington College)
Elle Wilson, Chevy Chase, Md. (Episcopal High School)
Muna Yussuf, Nairobi, Kenya (African Leadership Academy)
*will defer for a year and join the program in 2014
Read more about the Roberston Scholars program.
Published July 18, 2013.