By Kara Lopp
The Charlotte Weekly
March 27-April 2, 2009 Issue
Since learning she was selected as a Morehead-Cain Scholar, Charlotte Latin's Emily Zuehlke has received at least 20 letters and a few phone calls from program alumni urging her to accept.
The graduates shared their own stories of how the program impacted their lives. The advice was well-received: Zuehlke, 17, of Waxhaw, accepted the honor this week.
The prospect of studying abroad--for free--and getting involved in overseas service projects was too much to turn down, she said.
"I'm excited for the adventure and discovering new interests that I haven't been exposed to at (Charlotte Latin)," she said.
The prestigious University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill scholarship, valued at about $80,000, pays all expenses for four years of undergraduate study, four summer enrichment experiences and a laptop computer. More than 1,700 high school seniors were nominated by their schools or applied for the Morehead-Cain Scholars Program, the country's first nonathletic merit scholarship program. Recipients are chosen based on merit and accomplishments, not financial need. Winners have until April to accept the scholarship.
A cross country runner, Zuehlke says she's interested in a medical or biomedical career. And a new option is on the table: ambassador.
"That would actually catch my parents completely off guard. I just thought of that this week," she said.
For two years, medicine has played a prominent role in her busy high school schedule. She's enrolled in Carolinas Medical Center's Diversity in Healthcare program and has been mentored by an obstetrician/gynecologist and an emergency room doctor, and now is shadowing a resident physician. The opportunity has given her a taste of today's medical field, she said.
At Charlotte Latin, Zuehlke is leader of the school's community service council and helped start a separate service club. Through projects such as organizing a food drive, a dance for mentally disabled students and an Easter egg hunt for area students, her passion for serving others comes alive, Zuehlke said. The teen also is making dollhouses to donate to at-risk girls to earn her Girls Scouts Gold Award, the organization's highest honor.
"At (Charlotte) Latin you sort of live in a privileged world," she said. "It lets me get out into the community and share that with others."
To view online, go to www.thecharlotteweekly.com.