MARCH 26, 2009 ISSUE
WHS Student Body President Receives Morehead-Cain Scholarship
WHS student body president Will Barbour will be heading to UNC-Chapel Hill on the Morehead-Cain scholarship this fall.It has been 10 years since someone from Watauga County has won the Morehead-Cain scholarship, but WHS senior Will Barbour has done it. The Morehead-Cain, previously known simply as the Morehead, is one of the nation’s top honor scholarships, sending 70 recipients from around the world to study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Many Morehead-Cain recipients are in state, but some come from as far away as Austria, Hong Kong and Turkey. Barbour and his Morehead-Cain classmates will receive full four-year tuition, wages for living expenses and extracurricular educational opportunities, money for a laptop computer and an array of summertime programs in the areas of outdoor leadership, public service, international research and private enterprise.
Barbour had known the scholarship existed since his freshman year but didn't think that much about it until later.
“It seemed so far away and legendary," he said. "I got nominated by my school, made it past the application and went on to the interviews. With each round it became more and more real, because I realized I had a chance."
When selecting their honorees, the Morehead-Cain judges are said to be rigorous in looking for distinction in leadership, scholarship, moral force of character and physical vigor. Barbour, as it would seem to those who know him, excels in each of these areas.
His parents are Bill Barbour, who works for Charter Communications, and Rebecca Kaenzig, an accounting professor at ASU. He has lived in Boone his whole life, attending Hardin Park Elementary and Watauga High School. Aside from being the WHS student body president and making top grades, he is involved with the drama department as a member of the Playmakers honors acting troupe. Barbour has helped write and direct plays throughout the year and is starring in the spring musical, All Shook Up.
He participated in the Mountain Alliance outdoor experiential club, has run Cross Country all four years of his high school and is now on the first ever men's lacrosse team at the school. Despite all of these commitments, he still has time to practice and perform with his band, the Union Jackrabbits. He plays the guitar and is a part-time vocalist for the band, which is in the process of recording an album.
Regarding what he wants to study, said, "It changes a lot with me, what I want to study. I am considering doing broadcasting and journalism, but I've not decided for sure yet. I want to take a lot of religion and philosophy classes as well."
“I’m looking forward to the Morehead summers,” he said, “and hopefully I can play some club sports at UNC and maybe get involved in their student government as well. I’m really honored to be a part of it all, and I want to take advantage of every possibility.”
Barbour modestly acknowledged those who helped him on his way to the scholarship, citing “God, my family, my teachers and my friends” as allies in his successes. “Everyone’s been super supportive. My teachers in school and friends all through elementary and high school have all shaped me into who I am.”
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