Full Scholarships, National Rankings and Spectacular Campus Lure High-Achieving Freshmen to UC

Coming from near and far, they’re among the incoming freshmen who are the nation’s highest achievers. Seven students are the recipients of the University of Cincinnati’s full, four-year $76,000 Cincinnatus scholarship awards to pay for tuition, books, room and board and fees.

The Cincinnatus Scholarship Competition – a UC tradition since 1997 – recognizes students for their academic achievement, leadership and commitment to community service. Each UC Cincinnatus scholar is required to perform 30 hours of community service per academic year.

These students were selected for the top awards following a winter on-campus competition that offered a total of $18 million in different levels of scholarship awards and brought thousands of high school seniors to campus to compete in essay and leadership exercises. Follow-up interviews with the leading contenders resulted in the selection of seven incoming UC freshmen to receive the full $76,000 awards. They are:

Alexandra Blood, Miamisburg, Ohio – Blood, an 18-year-old graduate of Miamisburg High School, plans to major in psychology in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences. She’s interested in eventually becoming a pediatric specialist. During her senior year in high school, she served as student body treasurer and secretary and was also treasurer of her school’s National Honor Society. She was a member of the school band and the track team through her entire time in high school, receiving numerous honors from the track team for inspiring her teammates to do their best. Blood is joining UC’s Honors Scholars program for academically talented students. Her service activities include mentoring a child in special education at Bauer Elementary School and volunteering with her church youth group on mission trips to impoverished cities in Mexico. Blood says her interest in attending UC first stemmed from the university’s “excellent pediatric program,” and adds, “I like the diversity of the campus and of Cincinnati.”

Joseph Chisholm, Orange Park, Fla. – Chisholm, a graduate of Ridgeview High School, plans to major in musical theater at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), recognized nationally and internationally as one of the leading conservatories of the performing arts. Chisholm has turned his talent into service, performing for elementary schools and retirement homes. He has also volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and the Relay For Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Chisholm was in the International Baccalaureate Program at his high school, an accelerated college-level high school program. He was class vice president, president of the National Honor Society, president the Spanish Honor Society and President of the Drama Club. He was also elected to Who’s Who of High School students and the International Honor Society of High School Students. He is the recipient of several state-level superior awards for musical theater.

Edward Kwon, Shoreview, Minn. – Kwon, a graduate of Mounds View High School, will study violin at UC’s internationally renowned College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). The 17-year-old Kwon says “the amazing faculty, as well as the beautiful facilities” played a role in his decision to attend UC. He says he heard about the Cincinnatus competition from a friend who had recently graduated from CCM. Kwon was senior class officer for his high school Student Council, was a member of the National Honor Society and was a state competitor on his school’s speech team. He was also editor of his student newspaper, The Viewer, as well as director of a student-run Shakespeare play that he says was the highest-grossing theater production at the school. Kwon was a finalist at the 2007 St. Paul String Quartet Competition. His service activities included serving as one of the founding members of the Humanitarians United for Good (HUG) Club, an organization that raised awareness about civil rights and social issues. Kwon is joining UC’s Honors Scholars program for academically talented students.

Benjamin Morris, Bay Village, Ohio – Morris, a graduate of Bay High School, plans to major in architecture at UC’s nationally ranked College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). “Apart from the exceptional reputation of the college, my interest in the University of Cincinnati came from multiple recommendations by alumni and current students,” says the 18-year-old Morris, who will be joining the UC Honors Scholars program for academically talented students. Morris was a member of his high school symphonic band and jazz ensemble, science club, National Honor Society and Model United Nations. He’s a recipient of the Rotary Youth Leadership Award, Bay Village Historical Society Award and the Kiwanis Four-Year Academic Achievement Award. His service activities included working with an organization that provided leadership programs for elementary school-aged students.

Amar Pandya, Naperville, Ill. – Pandya is a graduate of Neuqua Valley High School and plans to pursue pre-medical studies with a major in political science in the McMicken College of Arts and Sciences. He is founder and president of Young Democrats of Naperville Township and is a member of Naperville Township Democrats. Through Young Democrats of Naperville Township, he says he recruited and trained several dozen high-school student volunteers who actively participated in United States congressional campaigns in 2006. He also worked as a summer research intern in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics at the University of Illinois, Chicago. Pandya says he chose UC because of its opportunities for undergraduate research and internships. “Furthermore, I had contacted several current and former UC students to ask them about their college experiences. Each one highly recommended UC for its combination of academics and social life,” says the 18-year-old Pandya. He is joining the UC Honors Scholars program for academically talented students. Pandya graduated from high school as an advanced-placement scholar with distinction, and was also an Illinois State Scholar, Indian Prairie Scholar, National Merit Commended Scholar and recipient of the academic achievement award through all four years of high school. As a member of the Boy Scouts, he achieved Eagle Scout status, the organization’s highest rank. His community service activities include volunteering as a Spanish peer tutor, a middle school science fair judge and a student representative for the Naperville Collaborative Youth Team in 2005, which opened dialogue about issues affecting young people in the City of Naperville.

Stuart Wilson, Bexley, Ohio – Wilson, who graduated summa cum laude from Bexley High School, plans to major in architecture at UC’s nationally ranked College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP). He says it was that national reputation that attracted him to UC. Wilson is joining UC’s Honors Scholars program for academically talented students. The National Merit Finalist is also a member of the National Honor Society, Cum Laude Society and participated in band, choir and theater. The 18-year-old Wilson is also an entrepreneur – the founder of a lawn care company. His service activities included a mission trip to Peru.

Shali Zhu, Louisville, Ky. – Zhu was valedictorian of Ballard High School and is majoring in finance in the College of Business. The 18-year-old Zhu says she chose UC because “the university not only has excellent faculty members and research facilities, but also innumerable opportunities for students to explore and develop their interests.” Zhu’s high school honors include participation in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Women’s Technology program, taking second place statewide at the Intel Science Fair, receiving the Editor’s Choice Award from the International Library of Poetry, participation in the Governor’s Scholar Program, and placement on the National Honor Roll. Her service activities included volunteering at the Norman Public Library, where she was honored with the Gold Medal Volunteer Award, and serving as a peer math tutor. Zhu is joining the UC Honors Scholars program for academically talented students.

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Cincinnatus Scholarship Competition