Elon Academy Kappa Scholar Jenny Te Vazquez has made history by becoming the first of the program's students to be awarded the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Elon Academy Kappa Scholar Jenny Te Vazquez has made history by becoming the first Elon Academy scholar to earn the Morehead-Cain Scholarship at UNC-Chapel Hill, the nation’s first merit-based scholarship program.
Te Vazquez, a senior at Southern Alamance High School, was nominated for the prestigious award by her school, Southern Alamance High School. After submitting an official application, Te Vazquez was selected as a semifinalist and endured two additional rounds of interviewing before being selected as a finalist.
The Morehead-Cain Scholarship was established in 1945 and is modeled after the Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University. Recipients receive full funding to cover the total cost of attendance for four years. Additionally, each summer of their collegiate careers recipients participate in a summer enrichment program designed to help scholars travel the world and learn how they can make global change.
In the summer before the first year, scholars participate in an Outdoor Leadership Experience designed to challenge students to step outside out of their comfort zones and push themselves mentally, physically, and emotionally. In the summer of 2018, Te Vazquez will spend three weeks canoeing and backpacking in Minnesota’s Lake Superior and North Woods.
In subsequent summers, Te Vazquez will participate in programs aimed at public service, inquiry and exploration, and private enterprise. Other benefits of the scholarship include monies to fund educational opportunities, alumni speaker series, and access to a network of more than 3,000 Morehead-Cain alumni.
“Elon Academy continuously pushed me out of my comfort zone, taught me to be a leader, and prepared me for the challenges I would face,” said Te Vazquez. “They are always there to support me by helping me prepare for interviews as well as just being there for moral support. I am so thankful to the Elon Academy because I know I could not have gotten the Morehead-Cain without them. The program shaped who I am today and I’m so proud to call myself an Elon Academy Scholar.”
In addition to her acceptance into UNC-Chapel Hill, Te Vazquez has also been accepted to East Carolina University, UNC-Wilmington, UNC-Greensboro, Appalachian State University, N.C. State University and Wake Forest University. She has earned admission into several university honors programs and was awarded the Goodnight STEM Scholarship at N.C. State University.