Special to IFN
South Iredell High School senior Mary Elizabeth Miller is one of 75 students awarded a Morehead-Cain Scholarship to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC–Chapel Hill) in the fall of 2025.
The scholars represent 22 North Carolina counties and 19 U.S. states and territories, and six countries. Their academic interests range from biology and political science to literature, languages, and the arts.
They join a thriving cohort of thinkers, leaders, creators, and adventurers at UNC–Chapel Hill, empowered by the Morehead-Cain Program to set their potential free. In addition to a fully funded undergraduate scholarship to one of the nation’s foremost public research universities, scholars gain access to a network of peers and mentors, challenging internships and summer experiences, and an opportunity to travel the world.
Miller is an International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme student and serves as co-president of the Crosby Scholars Program, a Student Ambassador, and an officer for the SAVE Club. She is the founder and president of the Vikingettes Community Service Club and has volunteered with Teen Court since her sophomore year, serving in both defense and prosecution roles.
The daughter of Elizabeth and Frank Miller, she also co-leads an annual Operation Christmas Child drive and created a Chiari Malformation awareness fundraiser following her own brain surgery in 2022, raising over $2,000 for the Conquer Chiari Foundation. She attended North Carolina Governor’s School for natural science and is a member of multiple academic honor societies.
Outside of school, she helps run her family’s pizza restaurant and cares for horses on her family’s farm. She plans to study political science and global studies on the pre-law track at Carolina.
The process of selecting the new class of scholars occurs over the course of six months and includes application review, virtual and in-person interviews, and other activities. The selection process relies on the expertise of Foundation staff and hundreds of alumni interviewers and volunteer evaluators.
Candidates enter the process via nomination, either from their school or on their own. The UNC Office of Undergraduate Admissions also refers strong Early Action applicants as candidates for the process.
“At a time in which bold and ethical leadership is required across our global society, we welcome the Morehead-Cain Class of 2029 with a moment of celebration and a call to action,” said Chris Bradford, president of the Morehead-Cain Foundation. “These scholars were selected for their intellect and moral force of character, and we recognize their potential to lead lives of purpose and impact. In joining Morehead-Cain, they embrace a lifelong commitment to strengthening our University, state, nation, and world.”
Since its founding in 1945, the Morehead-Cain Program has been a model for countless merit scholarships throughout the United States and across the world.