Jay Stanton, a Columbia High School senior and Tyrrell County resident, is the recipient of the Morehead-Cain Scholarship from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Morehead-Cain Scholarship (originally the Morehead Scholarship) was the first merit scholarship program established in the United States, founded at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the first public university in the United States. It is named for its benefactors, John Motley Morehead III and the Gordon and Mary Cain Foundation. Modeled after the Rhodes Scholarship, the Morehead-Cain provides a full four-year scholarship covering tuition, books, room and board, a laptop computer, and four summer experiences known as the Morehead-Cain’s Summer Enrichment Program. Nominees must be a competitive applicant to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and unmarried with no children.

Columbia High School has had several past winners of the Morehead-Cain Scholarship.

Aaron Manning received the Morehead scholarship in 2006.  He attended 4 years at UNC as a Morehead Scholar later a “Morehead-Cain Scholar after Cain made a large contribution to the scholarship fund, leading to the inclusion of his name in the scholarship.

 

Aaron’s summer experiences included kayaking around the straits of Alaska for 6 weeks part of the Outward Bound program,  teaching English in Angthong, Tailand, studying the healthcare system of South America in Argentina, Bolivia, and Peru,hiking Machu Pichu and working at the National Institute of Health in the Washington DC area studying hematology.

“His experiences as a Morehead-Cain scholar helped him gain admittance and a tuition scholarship to Medical School at UNC.  He graduated from medical school in 2014, and is currently completing an internship in Internal Medicine and Pediatrics in Denver, Colorado,” said Columbia High School Principal Marcia Manning.

 

Prior to Aaron, Tiffany Griswell was awarded the Morehead Scholarship.  Tiffany is the daughter of Tyrrell County Schools employee Shirley Spencer.  Tiffany worked in finance in Atlanta Ga following her graduation from UNC, and then completed law school at UCLA in California.

Prior to Tiffany, Tyrrell County Schools’ first Morehead Scholar was Crystal Hudson, daughter of Connie and Roger Hudson.

“It is a very prestigious scholarship that affords students opportunities to travel, make professional connections, and obtain a comprehensive education.  Only top students are nominated, and only three percent of the 2015 nominees were selected for this award.  I am very proud of Jay for his accomplishments that positioned him to be recognized as a Morehead-Cain Scholar,” said Manning.

Stanton plans to major in biology and focus on marine sciences at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.