A Cornerstone of Excellence
Expanding the number of Morehead-Cain Scholars at Carolina is making an impact on campus.
Expanding the number of Morehead-Cain Scholars at Carolina is making an impact on campus.
Broad support from its community of alumni and friends has helped Morehead-Cain, the first merit scholarship program in the United States, increase the number of scholarships awarded each year. Two matching challenges, Give for Good and Give Together, drew gifts from thousands of donors for Morehead-Cain. Over the last decade, the number of Morehead-Cain Scholars in each incoming class has increased by approximately 50%, from about 50 to about 75 each year.
More scholars in each class means more talented students — such as Kendall Leigh ’25 — come to Carolina and have an impact from the moment they step onto campus. Before completing her first semester at Carolina, Leigh founded MaxCalKen, a club that gathers over a meal to support students seeking positive associations with food and body image.
Morehead-Cain scholars also excel academically. In 2020 and 2021, four Morehead-Cain students were selected for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University: Sarah Mackenzie ’20, Kimathi Muiruri ’21, Justin Hadad ’21 and Takhona Hlatshwako ’22.
