merit scholarship

Do you know how to search for scholarships? ’ll never forget the day I got an email from a parent in a state of shock over college price tags. I could sense the panic in her words. She had no idea how much college cost, and more importantly how they were going to pay for it! Today we are going to talk about when and how you can start searching for scholarships and navigate college expenses and how to pay for them.

You can find links referenced in the podcast below.

Fastweb: https://www.fastweb.com/
College Board Opportunity Scholarship: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/bigfuture-scholarships
Cappex: https://www.appily.com/scholarships
FAFSA: https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa
CSS Profile: https://cssprofile.collegeboard.org/

This show is for the confused college applicant and family to learn simple and effective strategies to help you find the BEST college for your student while having positive conversations. This will turn you into the College Ready applicant and family so you can be confident with your next steps and your choice of college!

You can also download our free guide on How to Start or Expand Your College Search here.  You can also follow me on social media at Confused to College Ready.

I’m Courtney Kountz and I’m looking forward to serving you and your student!

Today’s guest is Aaron Hiller ’03, chief counsel and Democratic deputy staff director for the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary. 

On this episode, Aaron reflects on the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and what it was like to work on the ensuing two impeachments of former president Donald Trump. The alumnus also shares his thoughts on having a free and fair presidential election this November, his legal heroes, and why he thinks college students should consider working in politics. 

Aaron spoke with Morehead-Cain from his office on the Hill before the 2023 D.C. Regional Event for alumni and scholars. 

The alumnus received his bachelor’s in biology and philosophy from Carolina. He earned his JD and master’s in public policy from Georgetown University in 2007.

The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul. 

How to listen

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.

Today’s guests are Sam Lowe ’20, Scott Diekema ’19, Nicholas Byrne ’19, and Jonny Huang ’24, who Zoomed with Morehead-Cain from Brooklyn. 

Sam, Scott, and Nicholas are the co-founders of recycleReality, a creative technology studio in New York that specializes in bespoke design and software solutions in music, fashion, art, and architecture. Jonny interned with the alumni this summer for his Morehead-Cain Professional Experience summer. 

On this episode, the Morehead-Cains share about the early collaborations at UNC–Chapel Hill that led to forming their own company, how their different backgrounds and skillsets (computer science to communications and music) complement one another, and a music responsive light box that recycleReality plans to release within a year.

recycleReality garnered recognition earlier this year with two OBIE Awards as part of the 2022 “Breakthrough Artist” ad campaign by Amazon Music and Overall Murals. The alumni won the OBIE Craft Award for Best Illustration and a Silver OBIE Award in the Billboards category. The OBIE Awards, presented annually by the Out of Home Advertising Association of America, recognize outstanding contributions to the world of advertising and design.

Nicholas and Sam are returning Catalyze guests. The two (along with Eric Lee ’18) spoke with Morehead-Cain back in 2020 during a road trip across the country with a U-Haul-turned-mobile-recording-unit. 

The episode’s intro song is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

How to listen

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.

On a spring day in Chapel Hill, Bobby Evans ’91 joined scholar host Benny Klein ’25 outside the Morehead-Cain Foundation to share about his life and career as a Major League Baseball executive. Bobby is the former general manager of the San Francisco Giants, a role he served from 2015 to 2018. 

Bobby speaks about his grandmother’s pivotal advice as a high schooler, his start in baseball as an intern at UNC–Chapel Hill, the opportunities that led to the general manager role, and the highs and lows of working with the Giants. He also gives his perspective on a people-first approach to team building.

Bobby now serves on the national leadership council for the Positive Coaching Alliance, a nonprofit that provides research-based training materials and resources for coaches, parents, athletes, and leaders to promote positive youth development experiences through sports. The alumnus also collaborates with Because Baseball, a nonprofit founded by Kemp Gouldin ’02 that aims to “build bridges of friendship” in the Middle East using baseball.

“It’s very important not to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders alone, because no one person can manage all of that. You put good people around you.” —Bobby Evans ’91

Music credits

The first and second songs in this episode are by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul. 

How to listen

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.

Maggie Helmke ’23 and Roli Enonuya ’23, two graduating scholars, joined Catalyze to reflect on their four years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Maggie and Roli share with scholar host Stella Smolowitz ’26 about their favorite classes and memories, challenges they overcame, and advice for incoming and current scholars. The seniors also share their plans following graduation on May 14. 

At UNC–Chapel Hill, Maggie designed her own C-START (Carolina Students Taking Academic Responsibility through Teaching) class about poetry, while Roli was involved in the UNC Campus Y’s Helping Youth by Providing Enrichment (HYPE) program, where she served K-5 students at local community centers through social, cultural, and educational experiences.

Following graduation, Maggie will take her Global Perspective summer through the Morehead-Cain, then pursue teaching. Roli will travel to Columbia and Brazil for her Global Perspective summer, then take a consulting role in Atlanta. (Both scholars’ final Summer Enrichment Program were delayed to this year due to the pandemic.)

At the end of the episode, other members of the Morehead-Cain Class of 2023 share advice, kudos, and college memories. Thank you to Charlotte Dorn ’23, Amy Feng, McKenzie Martin ’23, and Kartik Tyagi ’23 for sharing your story!

Music credits

The intro music is by Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul. 

How to listen

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

The Catalyze podcast is a series by the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The show is directed and produced by Sarah O’Carroll, Content Manager for Morehead-Cain. 

You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.

Trial lawyer Jerry Blackwell ’84 sat down with Catalyze hosts Sarah O’Carroll and Benny Klein ’24 to share his story of joining the prosecution team, some of the strategies behind the case, and what it was like to deliver the closing remarks of the trial.

Jerry has been nominated by President Biden to become a federal judge for the United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. The alumnus is the founding partner, CEO, and chairman of Blackwell Burke P.A. 

Listen to the episode.

“You were told . . . that Mr. Floyd died because his heart was too big,” Blackwell said to the jury on April 20, 2021. 

“And now, having seen all the evidence and having heard all the evidence, you know the truth, and the truth of the matter is that the reason George Floyd is dead is because Mr. Chauvin’s heart was too small,” he said.

Jerry will deliver the keynote address at the 2022 Morehead-Cain Alumni Forum this October. Listen to his Alumni Speaker Series talk from fall 2021. 

Read more about Jerry’s work on the trial.

Music credits

The intro music for this episode is by Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul. This episode also includes the song, “Jazz Mango,” by Joey Pecoraro. 

How to listen

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.

Brad Rathgeber ’01 is the head of school and CEO of One Schoolhouse, a “partner to independent schools that envisions and embodies what’s next in education, online learning, and professional development.” 

The alumnus talks with host Benny Klein ’24 of the Scholar Media Team about working with three other Morehead-Cains as a rising second-year college student for a nonprofit scholarship program in Zimbabwe (co-founded by Galahad Clark ’99 and Jeff Pike ’99), teaching and coaching at Holton-Arms School in Washington, D.C., and how his time at the school for girls formed the groundwork for building his own company. 

Brad talks about the difference between online learning and “emergency learning,” and how he approaches an inclusive framework to education through identity-affirming classes.

“A great coach helps someone see something in themselves that they don’t yet see, and then helps them find a pathway to get there.” —Brad Rathgeber ’01 

Music credits

The intro and ending music for this episode is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul. 

The music featured mid-episode is by scholars Asher Wexler ’25 and Emmaus Holder ’23, with voice-over by scholar Tucker Stillman ’25. 

How to listen

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.

Nick Andersen ’12 is a podcast producer for GBH Boston, the primary PBS member station in Boston. 

Nick shares with host Benny Klein ’24 of the Scholar Media Team about his work on the PBS MASTERPIECE series. Before joining GBH, the producer worked for WBUR, Boston’s NPR news station, and NPR’s On Point show.

The alumnus is also the senior producer for Ministry of Ideas, a “small show about big ideas.” The Harvard Divinity School series is dedicated to investigating and illuminating the ideas that shape our society.

As a Morehead-Cain Scholar, Nick wrote for the Daily Tar Heel, the University of North Carolina’s student-run newspaper. He earned degrees in history and journalism. 

Music credits

The intro and ending music for this episode is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

The music featured mid-episode is by scholars Asher Wexler ’25 and Emmaus Holder ’23, with voice-over by scholar Tucker Stillman ’25.

How to listen

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed. Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.

Bradley Opere ’17 is the co-founder of FarmMoja, an agriculture social enterprise in Nairobi, Kenya. 

Bradley joined Catalyze to share about what got him interested in the agriculture industry, how FarmMoja is working to rehabilitate land and support smallholder farmers, and why it was important for the alumnus to return to Africa after graduating as a Morehead-Cain Scholar. 

For his day job, Bradley is now a consultant at Dalberg. Prior to joining the global consulting firm, he was a young leadership fellow at McKinsey & Company. The entrepreneur co-wrote an article with McKinsey colleagues in the spring of 2020 about the impact of COVID-19 on Africa’s food systems and what governments and private actors can do to respond. 

As an undergraduate student at UNC–Chapel Hill, the alumnus was the first student from Africa to be elected student body president. 
 

Ying Hua ’10 is a portfolio manager at Balyasny Asset Management, a hedge fund with $15 billion of assets under management. On this episode, Ying breaks down the two approaches to investing (fundamental and quantitative) and gives personal finance advice for college students. She also shares how to embrace volatility and risk in your career. 

Prior to joining Balyasny in 2020, Ying was an analyst at Citadel for four years and an equity research associate at Goldman Sachs before that. She studied economics at Carolina and later received a master’s degree in data science from the University of California at Berkeley. 

The intro music for this episode is by scholar Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

How to listen

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.

Catalyze is joined by Geoff Milliner, the COO of the Chattanooga Enterprise Center and a 2021 Civic Collaboration host for Morehead-Cain, and Montez Thomas, assistant director of scholar advising at Morehead-Cain. This episode is the second in a two-part series on the Civic Collaboration program. 

The Enterprise Center tasked their team of Morehead-Cain Scholars to explore the impact of “smart city” investments and technologies on quality of life, as well as its intersection with social determinants of health. The center is a nonprofit devoted to establishing Chattanooga as a hub of innovation and entrepreneurship. 

More than a dozen teams of scholars participated in this year’s Civic Collaboration program. Rising second-year scholars investigated their designated communities’ challenges and opportunities and proposed meaningful solutions. 

Learn more about the 2021 Civic Collaboration program. 

Becoming a Civic Collaboration host for Morehead-Cain

Hosts propose a problem or issue for scholars to address together, provide guidance and mentorship, and share information and resources pertinent to the projects. The Morehead-Cain Scholarship provides each scholar with a cost-of-living stipend and transportation to and from the host city (hosts are not expected to provide financial assistance to scholars).

To learn more about partnering with Morehead-Cain for future Civic Collaboration projects, contact Montez Thomas or visit our website.

Music Credits

This episode features songs by Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul, and Nicholas Byrne ’19 of Arts + Crafts. 

How to listen

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.

Catalyze is joined by Liz Kistin Keller ’04 of the City of Albuquerque’s Office of the Mayor and a 2021 Civic Collaboration host for Morehead-Cain. This episode is the first in a two-part series on the Civic Collaboration program. 

The Office of the Mayor tasked their team of Morehead-Cain Scholars to explore the online user experiences of the 50+ population in order to improve their access to internet-based services provided by local government. 

More than a dozen teams of scholars participated across the country in this year’s Civic Collaboration program. Rising second-year scholars investigated their designated communities’ challenges and opportunities and proposed meaningful solutions. 

Learn more about the 2021 Civic Collaboration program. 

Becoming a Civic Collaboration host for Morehead-Cain

Hosts propose a problem or issue for scholars to address together, provide guidance and mentorship, and share information and resources pertinent to the projects. The Morehead-Cain Scholarship provides each scholar with a cost-of-living stipend and transportation to and from the host city (hosts are not expected to provide financial assistance to scholars).

To learn more about partnering with Morehead-Cain for future Civic Collaboration projects, contact Montez Thomas or visit our website.

Music Credits

This episode features songs by Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul, and Nicholas Byrne ’19 of Arts + Crafts. 

How to listen

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed.

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.

The road that brought Chris Bradford to Chapel Hill began in Kalamazoo, Michigan, and included stops in New Haven, Connecticut; Palo Alto, California; Oundle, England; and Johannesburg, South Africa. 

Chris spoke with Morehead-Cain from his home in Johannesburg to share his story of founding African Leadership Academy (ALA), his personal mission (which he says is to “build platforms that enable individuals to reimagine what’s possible for themselves and their societies”), and his vision for Morehead-Cain as the incoming president.

Chris, CEO and co-founder of ALA, will succeed Executive Director Chuck Lovelace ’77, who leaves this summer after 37 years with the Foundation. 

Learn more about Chris.

How to listen

On your mobile device, you can listen and subscribe to Catalyze on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. For any other podcast app, you can find the show using our RSS feed. 

Catalyze is hosted and produced by Sarah O’Carroll for the Morehead-Cain Foundation, home of the first merit scholarship program in the United States and located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. You can let us know what you thought of the episode by finding us on Twitter or Instagram at @moreheadcain or you can email us at communications@moreheadcain.org.

Music credits 

The intro music is by Scott Hallyburton ’22, guitarist of the band South of the Soul.

The music for the ending is by Nicholas Byrne ’19. Follow Nicholas @art.sandcrafts on Instagram.