Tait Chandler, 17, the focus of a feature in last week’s edition after he won a coveted Loren scholarship, hasn’t put down his horse shoes just yet — not that luck has anything to do with it.
The Hazelton Secondary senior has just won the Canadian Morehead-Cain scholarship which would allow him to attend the University of North Carolina.
The young scholar said he is thrilled and now a little overwhelmed as the possibilities for his future.
“It was a shock to get both,” he shared. “I was relieved when I got the Loren and then when I got the Morehead I realized I have to make some big decisions. It’s amazing to be able to do whatever I want but it’s a big choice. I have a responsibility now to fill the requirements for the rewards and I have to work hard and live up to the expectations.”
The monetary value for the scholarship is also quite substantial. He would be eligible for $13,500 a year for living expenses, plus full tuition, plus undergraduate fees for four years, a new laptop computer and four summer internships with an approximate value of $5,500 each. The internships will be in outdoor leadership, public service, international research and the private sector.
To help make his decision a little easier, he will be flown down to UNC at the end of March for a weekend to check it all out, he said.
“I will be going down for the weekend and attending classes on Monday,” he explained. “I will also get to attend a collage baseball game on Sunday and it is during March Madness which is the college basketball season so it should be pretty amazing.”
As for what Chandler would study if he were to attend UNC, that particular decision is one of the easier ones he said.
“ I believe I would definitely take the International Affairs program,” he said, “The UNC has such a huge program that is quite extensive. I want to feel like I am doing something for the world and making a difference in peoples’ lives who could really use the help. I like to travel and the program offers lots of travel opportunities. I am very interested in other cultures and their beliefs and this program gives me a chance to learn another language and immerse into other cultures. It’s pretty exciting.”
While Chandler is thrilled to be chose as the recipient for two incredible scholarships he said he was a little worried at how is fellow classmates and friends would respond.
“I was kind of expecting some possible bitterness, and was worried because my friends had worked really hard too,” he said. “But they were unbelievably happy for me. They planned a lunch for me and made a banner and a cake and its amazing to have friends like that and have their support. I couldn’t have done it without them all really. There has definitely been a group that has been pushing each other hard to get better marks and there is always that kind of competition and it breeds success. My friends are a big factor in my own success to this day.”
For now, he has some big decisions ahead of him as well as a lot of work.
“I have to take my SAT 1 in May to be eligible which is critical reading, writing and math,” he explained. “They sent me the manual and it is freaking huge, it’s 400 pages as well as tons of practice exams which I have to study before then so I will be studying really hard for that for the next couple months.”
Chandler also plans on attending at least one Canadian university before choosing his path for the next four years but added, in the end his decision will come down to which university feels right. To learn more about the Morehead-Cain, visit www.moreheadcain.org.