Most students that attend Leesville dream of a full ride to the University of North Carolina.
Will Woodhouse and Lexi Schmidt are semi-finalists for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship; if they receive the scholarship, all of their UNC-Chapel Hill expenses will be covered.
Only five students can be nominated from every school according to Mr. Green, Dean of Students. “The students nominated have the complete package,” said Green. “The Morehead-Cain committee looks for leadership, grades, physical activities and character.”
For the students to become semifinalists, they have to fill out a questionnaire and answer essay questions.
“I was so relieved when I found out I was a semi-finalist. I knew it was very competitive, but I also thought I had a pretty good shot,” said Woodhouse.
Woodhouse is an ideal candidate for the scholarship because of his extracurricular activites: he is captain of the cross country team, senior class president, and leader in the band. He also held a summer job, working with scientists at Duke.
According to Schmidt, she has been an over achiever since the third grade and has not made anything below an A in any class. “For me, the stand-out factors are my grades. I don’t think I’ve met a subject I haven’t enjoyed studying,” said Schmidt. “When I found out I was a semi-finalist, I was a little shocked. Actually, I still think I’m in shock, and I probably will be until my interview on January 13.”
The Morehead-Cain Scholarship Regional Selection committee will hold interviews where they will decide which students will be chosen as finalists. After their interview, Woodhouse and Schmidt will know whether or not they are finalists.
