Barbour earns
top scholarship WHS president receives Morehead-Cain
award
By Scott Nicholson
Watauga High School senior Will Barbour has achieved one
of the state’s and the nation’s highest academic honors
— selection as a Morehead-Cain Scholar at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Will Barbour has been selected
as one of 33 Morehead-Cain scholars in North Carolina.
Photo by Scott
Nicholson
Barbour, WHS senior class president, joined 70 other honorees
across the United States and around the world, and is Watauga
County’s first such scholar since 1999. He said he’d
known about the scholarship as a freshmen and earning it was one
of his goals.
“It wasn’t my leading motivator in school but it was
on my mind a lot,” Barbour said. “It’s really wide
open what you can do with it.”
Barbour had already decided he wanted to attend UNC after visiting
last year. He’s also excited about summer opportunities that
come with the scholarship, with about 30 options. His first choice
is to sail on a schooner from Maine to Bermuda.
The scholarship honor is based not just on academic achievement,
but on community involvement, physical vigor, leadership and “moral
force of character” as well.
Jane Rogers, senior counselor at Watauga High School, said Barbour
excelled in all areas and was well-deserving of the honor.
“He’s got it all wrapped up in a pretty nice package,”
Rogers said. “He’s personable and he’s very accomplished
in his academics, and has physical vigor in his sports. There
are four areas (in the selection process) and he’s just tops
in all four areas. He’s a fantastic guy and he can talk with
anybody. He doesn’t know a stranger. There is probably no
way they could have refused him, because he has it all.”
The Morehead-Cain Scholarship is among the largest and most competitive
scholarship programs in the United States. It pays all expenses
for four years of undergraduate study, including the cost of a
laptop computer and four summer-enrichment experiences. Additional
funding is provided for educational and experiential opportunities
during the academic years.
The value of the scholarship is about $80,000 for each of the
33 in-state students who were selected this year. More than 1,700
high school seniors were nominated by their schools or applied
for the Morehead-Cain. The 140 finalists underwent an interview
process on March 1 and 2.
Barbour said the interview process was relaxed, and said the committee
didn’t make him feel pressured.
“They looked at motives to see what I was really passionate
about. They’re really interested in you and finding the best
thing for you,” he said.
Barbour’s extracurricular activities include the student
council, Playmakers Honors Acting Ensemble, Spanish Club, Young
Life, Mountain Alliance, schools calendar committee, tennis, cross
country, outdoor track and field, and the Interact Club. He’s
also a guitarist and singer with the Union Jackrabbit Band and
has volunteered with local non-profit and charity efforts.
“He’s involved in drama, sports and he’s student
body president,” Rogers said. “He has tremendous involvement
and we’re very proud of him. He is very humble in his accomplishments.”
Barbour said he plans to become a broadcaster, though he has a
range of interests and wants to keep a broad perspective. He said
he might participate in club sports like cross country and lacrosse
in addition to his studies.
He is also grateful for the support of his teachers and fellow
students.
“A lot of my teachers have just been so supportive, and the
students as well,” Barbour said. “They’d ask me
how it was going. Everyone was always encouraging me. I’m
just really honored to be a part of this community.”
Barbour is the son of Bill Barbour, an advertising representative
for Charter Communications, and Rebecca Kaenzig, an accounting
professor at Appalachian State University.
The Morehead-Cain Scholarship includes summer programs that focus
on outdoor leadership, public service, private enterprise and
international research.
The program’s new discovery fund offers resources for similar
experiences during the academic year.
“Many finalists learned that the financial aspect of the
scholarship, while important, is not the most significant benefit
of the Morehead-Cain experience,” said Charles E. Lovelace
Jr., executive director of the scholarship foundation. “The
finalists learned firsthand from current scholars about how they
were able to discover, explore and pursue their passions through
summer experiences, interaction with other scholars and advising
from staff and alumni.”
Previous Morehead-Cain Scholars from Watauga County include Watauga
County commissioner and local attorney Jim Deal, Grace Lutheran
Church pastor the Rev. Tim Smith, playwright John Crutchfield
and Marina Chase. It was the family connection to Chase that led
to Will Barbour’s interest in the scholarship.
Other notable U.S. winners include Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft’s
entertainment and devices division; Pulitzer Prize-winning author
Taylor Branch; U.S. Representatives Jim Cooper, Mike McIntyre
and David Price; Caleb and Louise King, medical missionaries in
Rwanda; Ann Livermore, executive vice president of HP Services
with Hewlett-Packard Corporation; and Jonathan Reckford, chief
executive officer of Habitat for Humanity International.
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