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Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill Announce Robertson Scholars Class Of 2020

Financial benefits include full tuition, room and board for four years of undergraduate study

Thirty high school graduates have accepted invitations to become Robertson Scholars, receiving merit scholarships to attend either the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or Duke University. 

The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program’s financial benefits include full tuition, room and board, and mandatory fees for four years of undergraduate study, in addition to three summers of domestic and international experiences. 

The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program invests in young leaders who strive to make transformational contributions to society. Scholars are selected based on students’ demonstration of outstanding academic achievement, intellectual curiosity, moral character, purposeful leadership and collaborative spirit. 

Robertson Scholars matriculate to one university while receiving student privileges at both Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill, including opportunities to pursue second majors and minors, enroll in courses, and participate in student activities. During the academic year, the Robertson Program provides customized offerings designed to encourage scholars to realize their full leadership potential. 

The Robertson Program was created in 2000 through a $24 million gift from Julian Robertson, a 1955 graduate of UNC, and his wife, Josie. Inspired by their sons -- one of whom graduated from Duke in 1998, and another from UNC in 2001 -- the Robertsons believed that each institution offered a distinctive undergraduate experience, but that the combination of the two promised a breadth and depth of resources that no other university could match. 

The Robertson alumni network consists of approximately 345 leaders on six continents, linked together by a common goal to make positive and palpable contributions to their communities. 

The Robertson Scholars Leadership Program class of 2020 is: 

Scholars at Duke University: 

NEW ZEALAND

Georgia Simone Lala, Diocesan School for Girls, Auckland

Siyuan “Michael” Zhang, James Hargest College, Invercargill 

UNITED KINGDOM

Trenton Blitz Bricken, Eton College, London

Ibrahim Butt, Cardinal Newman College, Blackburn

Thomas Cooley Wanty, IV, St. Paul’s School, London 

UNITED STATES 

California

Christina Evie Boghosian, Marlborough School, Beverly Hills

*Melanie Farfel, Canyon Crest Academy, San Diego

Brooke Chanel Porter, The Thacher School, Rancho Cucamonga 

Colorado

Beza Gebremariam, Overland High School, Aurora 

New York

Kameron Sedigh, Kings Park High School, Kings Park 

North Carolina

Chinonyelum “Nonnie” Christine Egbuna, Parkland IB Magnet High School, Clemmons

Rasheca Logendran, Raleigh Charter High School, Raleigh 

Pennsylvania

Ralph Ignacio Lawton, Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School, Avondale 

Virginia

Reshini Diandra Premaratne, Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School, Glen Allen 

Scholars at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill: 

SOUTH AFRICA

Dikenna Awoke Ogbo, African Leadership Academy, Honeydew 

UNITED STATES 

California

Aakash Manohar Thumaty, Saratoga High School, Saratoga 

Florida

Emily McKenzie Kian, North Broward Preparatory School, Boca Raton

Divya Mahesh, Allen D. Nease High School, St. Augustine 

Georgia

Anne Frances Dempsey, Blessed Trinity Catholic High School, Kennesaw

Kansas

Hanna Elisabeth Watson, Andover High School, Wichita 

New York

Andrea F. Gonzales, Hunter College High School, Bronx 

North Carolina

Shivpriya “Priya” Sridhar, William G. Enloe High School, Raleigh

Rebecca Darci Sullenger, Carrboro High School, Chapel Hill 

Ohio

Evan Thomas Rodgers, The Wellington School, Upper Arlington

Pennsylvania

Cara Lee Price, South Fayette High School, Bridgeville

Matthew Alexander Schaefer, Radnor High School, Newton Square 

Tennessee

Brock Campbell Schoenwald, Brentwood Academy, Brentwood 

Texas

Samia Daghestani, Science Academy of South Texas, McAllen 

Virginia

Sydney Ariah Adams, Collegiate School, Midlothian

Peter James Andringa , Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology, Vienna

*Chosen in 2015, deferred admission until this year. 

For more information about the Robertson Scholars Leadership Program, visit www.robertsonscholars.org or email info@robertsonscholars.org