Kinston High senior a finalist for Morehead-Cain Scholarship
Derrian Wilson, a senior at Kinston High School, has advanced to the final round in the selection process for the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship to the University of North Carolina.
The trip Derrian Wilson took with a friend this week to Chapel Hill was part fun getaway and part reconnaissance mission. Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina could figure mightily into Derrian’s future now that the Kinston High School senior is a finalist for the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship to UNC.
As one of about 170 finalists, Derrian has excelled in a selection process that began with more than 2,000 applicants and was narrowed to about 500 semi-finalists. His next step comes this weekend with a virtual group activity and interviews with a committee that includes former and current Morehead-Cain scholars.
Each successful step is a confidence booster – sort of. “I’m still a little nervous with the interview process this weekend, but I think I’ll be fine,” Derrian said.
If his experience with the semi-finalist interview is any guide, the finalist interview will revolve around information from his application and the essays he submitted with it. Standing out in his biography, along with an extensive list of student accomplishments, is Derrian’s enduring battle with sickle cell disease.
“I talked about that a lot in my application. It’s just a part of who I am,” Derrian, 18, said about sickle cell. “I grew up with it. Even though I’ve had major and minor setbacks, I’ve always pushed through and achieved the goals I set for myself. I feel that speaks volumes about the person I am.”
Kinston High principal Kellan Bryant sees Derrian as a role model for fellow students. “Through my many interactions over the last four years, I have seen that Derrian knows who he is, what he is capable of,” she said. “He uses his knowledge and abilities to be his best self every day. I am so proud of him and cannot wait to see how far and wide his light shines in the future.”
Derrian’s course load this year consists of AP classes at KHS and college-level classes through Lenoir Community College. He expects to earn more than 30 college credits by the time he leaves high school and expects to enter college as a sophomore. Outside of school, he’s a long-time employee at Bojangles.
He is a student representative on Kinston High’s School Improvement Team, a member of the National Honor Society and of the Student Government Association. He tutors other students in math as part of LCPS’s partnership with AmeriCorp and he competed as a member of the school’s Quill Writing team. He’s in his fourth year as a pitcher and infielder for the Viking baseball team.
Careeer plans include a major in either criminology or political science, depending on where he goes to college. He’s got a choice to make there since he’s been accepted to 18 different universities. He’s narrowed the list to a top 5 – Howard, NC State, Norfolk State, Central and UNC. For obvious reasons, Carolina is sitting in the top spot.
On that visit to Chapel Hill, Derrian planned to visit the Smith Center, check out a bookstore and “get some UNC merch – just in case.”
The oldest merit scholarship in America, the Morehead-Cain is valued at about $80,000 for in-state students, covering all expenses for four years of undergraduate study and offering summer enrichment programs. About 75 scholarships are awarded each year. This year’s finalists will be notified around the end of the month.
