The School for Ethics and Global Leadership, The Knowledge Society, LEAF Academy join Morehead-Cain Foundation as nominating partners

News & Spotlights | October 21, 2021
A group of high school students show peace signs and smile for the camera.
Photo courtesy The Knowledge Society

Written by Laurelle Maubert ’25, Scholar Media Team member

Three institutions have nominated outstanding high school seniors to the Morehead-Cain Program’s selection process for the first time as nominating partners.

The School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL) and The Knowledge Society (TKS) have partnered with the Morehead-Cain Foundation as affiliate programs, joining twenty other organizations that each invite a select number of students to apply for the Morehead-Cain each year.

The LEAF Academy is also joining the Foundation as a nominating school, joining the Program’s partnering schools and pre-higher-education institutions throughout the United States and abroad. SEGL, TKS, and LEAF Academy have nominated a cohort of eligible candidates to apply for the Morehead-Cain Scholarship and, if selected, to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill beginning next fall.

Morehead-Cain President Chris Bradford said expanding the Program’s partnerships with innovative and ethics-minded schools and programs was a priority for his first year in the role.

“SEGL, TKS, and LEAF Academy each take a distinctive approach to developing change agents, and use their platforms to unlock the potential within youth,” said Bradford, who joined the Foundation in August 2021. “We’re excited to work together to escalate our collective impact and connect promise to opportunity.”

The School for Ethics and Global Leadership

The School for Ethics and Global Leadership is a semester-long residential program for high school juniors attending schools in the United States. The program selects students on the basis of character, leadership potential, and academic excellence, and who reflect the racial, socioeconomic, and geographic diversity of the country, according to its website.

SEGL was founded in 2009 by Noah Bopp in reaction to the September 11 terrorist attacks. Its educational model seeks to develop leaders with a strong sense of ethics and an international mindset, according to Bopp. Partnering with Morehead-Cain will advance both programs’ missions of identifying young people of potential for the greater good, he said.

“We’re proud of the SEGL graduates who’ve already gone on to become Morehead-Cains, and we know the world is better because of their contributions as scholars and alumni,” said Bopp, the head of school for SEGL. “We look forward to a productive and meaningful partnership for many years to come.”

SEGL is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with locations in Johannesburg, South Africa, and London, England.

The Knowledge Society

Modeled after curricula at Harvard University, Stanford University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, The Knowledge Society is a ten-month innovation program for students ages 13–17. TKS students learn about solving problems using emerging technologies, develop foundational mindsets, and build real-world skills, while being part of a global community of like-minded people.

TKS was co-founded in 2016 by entrepreneurs Nadeem and Navid Nathoo with the desire to maximize human potential among young people. The “global human accelerator” has more than 2,000 students and alumni and programs based in Ottawa, Toronto, and Vancouver (TKS also has a Global Virtual Program).

Joining forces with Morehead-Cain will accelerate the academic trajectories of more TKS students and “their mission to make the world a better place,” Navid Nathoo said.

“We share in Morehead-Cain’s commitment to developing young people’s leadership and moral character, and helping them make a positive impact,” the co-founder said.

The first TKS alumnus/a to receive the Morehead-Cain Scholarship is Isabella Grandic ’25, who graduated from Etobicoke Collegiate Institute in Toronto. The first-year scholar participated in TKS’s two-year program. Isabella also served as the program success manager for TKS, where she oversaw program outcomes for more than 800 students across eight programs.

TKS was recognized by the World Economic Forum as a “School of the Future” in 2020.

LEAF Academy

LEAF Academy is an international boarding school in Bratislava, Slovakia, for high school students ages 14–17 who attend schools primarily from the Central European region.

The institution’s American-style curriculum, offered in four- and two-year programs, is designed to foster leadership, entrepreneurship, moral values, and self-awareness among its students.

The nonprofit organization LEAF provides each student the opportunity to receive scholarships for one or two academic years at private high schools based in the United States and the United Kingdom. All students also collaborate with the academy’s business and NGO partners to gain practical experience on applying what they learn in the classroom to real scenarios.

In addition to required AP level coursework, students can participate in LEAF Academy’s signature programs for entrepreneurial leadership, character development, STEM learning, and Central European studies.

Morehead-Cain affiliate programs

  • Bezos Scholars Program
  • Boys and Girls Clubs of America
  • College Advising Corps
  • District of Columbia Public Schools (DC Public Schools)
  • Global Citizens Initiative
  • Guided Pathway Support (GPS) Program
  • High Mountain Institute
  • HOBY World Leadership Congress
  • Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
  • Joyce Ivy Foundation
  • The Knowledge Society (TKS)
  • Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA)
  • Matriculate
  • The Mountain School
  • Rainier Scholars
  • Roaring Fork PreCollegiate
  • The School for Ethics and Global Leadership (SEGL)
  • School Year Abroad (SYA)
  • Schuler Scholar Program
  • SHAD Canada
  • Student U
  • Sutton Trust

The Morehead-Cain Scholarship is a four-year, undergraduate merit scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a lifelong challenge to make a positive difference in the world. In addition to tuition, books, and room and board, the Morehead-Cain funds four summers of travel and experiential learning. It also offers scholars Discovery Fund grants for additional educational experiences. Morehead-Cain Scholars enjoy close relationships with some of the world’s best professors; a network of more than 3,200 Morehead-Cain Alumni; a diverse and thriving college campus in one of America’s most picturesque settings; and opportunities to become leaders in a wide variety of academic, social, and service organizations.