New pathways to Morehead-Cain: Expanding opportunity for the next generation of leaders

Through Sophomore Selection and the Global Fellows Program, Morehead-Cain is reaching more promising young leaders while carrying forward its longstanding commitment to leadership development.

This story is part of the 2026 Morehead-Cain Day of Giving series, celebrating a decade of collective generosity and the formative experiences, opportunities, and connections our alumni community has helped make possible.

For more than eight decades, Morehead-Cain has been guided by a belief in the power of investing in promising young leaders. That belief continues to shape not only the scholars selected to participate in the Morehead-Cain Program, but also the experiences, challenges, and relationships that help them realize their potential.

We have long believed that great leaders can emerge from anywhere and that it’s our responsibility to find them. That belief has guided our efforts to identify promising students from across North Carolina, the United States, and around the world, including a concerted effort to reach students in rural North Carolina communities. It also reflects something fundamental to the Morehead-Cain experience: scholars learn and grow when they are surrounded by people whose backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives differ from their own.

Building on this longstanding commitment, Morehead-Cain has created additional ways for exceptional young people to join its community. Through Sophomore Selection and the Global Fellows Program, the Foundation is identifying emerging leaders whose talents, interests, and experiences might not have brought them into the traditional high school selection process.

These new pathways are part of a broader period of growth. Since 2016, the number of scholars in the Program has increased from 217 to 360, extending opportunities for leadership development to more students while enriching the Carolina community.

The pathways may be new, but the commitment remains the same: identifying young people of exceptional promise and empowering them with the freedom, challenge, and support to become principled, purpose-driven leaders.

Recognizing leadership at Carolina: Sophomore Selection

Launched in 2023, Sophomore Selection recognizes exceptional students who have already begun making their mark at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Nominated through a highly engaged network of Carolina faculty, staff, and campus partners, these students have demonstrated leadership, character, and academic excellence through their contributions inside and beyond the classroom.

Since its launch, the pathway has welcomed sixty-four scholars, including eighteen newly selected members of the Morehead-Cain Class of 2029.

Among the newest scholars is Simon Clarida, who studies political science and sociology and conducts research with the UNC Center for Civil Rights on school funding disparities in North Carolina. He also serves on the Orange County Juvenile Crime Prevention Council.

Fellow scholar Amy Gao has already co-founded a learning center supporting elementary schools in Uganda and serves in leadership roles at Carolina, including with UNC’s Millennium Fellowship cohort.

Their pursuits reflect the breadth of interests and contributions that distinguish the Morehead-Cain community. They also demonstrate that leadership is not confined to any single discipline, experience, or conventional path.

Taking ownership of the opportunity

Selection is only the beginning.

Through Morehead-Cain, students selected through the sophomore process gain access to the same resources and experiences as first-year scholars, which are designed to help them stretch beyond the familiar and pursue their interests with greater independence.

And they are embracing those opportunities.

Among the forty-six scholars selected through this pathway, 100 percent completed a Lovelace Fund for Discovery project, taking the initiative to explore interests and develop skills beyond their formal coursework.

In addition, 96 percent also elected to participate in Civic Collaboration alongside scholars in the class year below them before advancing to more independent summer opportunities through Global Perspective and Professional Experience.

Their engagement reflects an essential part of the Morehead-Cain’s Leadership Development Model: growth through high expectations, stretch experiences, and sustained engagement.

By pursuing independent projects, building relationships that challenge and support their growth, and navigating unfamiliar environments, scholars develop the confidence, judgment, and sense of responsibility that leadership requires.

Sophomore Selection expands access to those experiences for students who have already demonstrated an ability to lead at Carolina and are eager to discover what more they can accomplish.

Building a global community of leaders

The commitment to identifying and developing promising leaders is also extending beyond Carolina and the United States.

In August 2025, Morehead-Cain welcomed the inaugural class of twelve Morehead-Cain Global Fellows, exceptional student leaders selected from universities around the world.

The Morehead-Cain Global Fellows Program offers a fully funded year of study and leadership development at Carolina. Global fellows engage in rigorous and wide-ranging academic courses, research, cross-cultural exchange, and opportunities to explore new interests while becoming part of Morehead-Cain’s intergenerational community.

Although the fellowship differs in length and structure from the traditional undergraduate Program, both experiences share a belief that leadership develops through purposeful challenge, independent exploration, reflection, and meaningful relationships.

A year of discovery and growth

As the inaugural global fellows reflected on their year at Carolina, they described how their experiences extended beyond academic achievement. They discovered new interests, challenged their assumptions, and developed relationships with alumni, faculty, and peers whose perspective and experiences differed from their own.

These reflections illustrate the potential of a concentrated year of leadership development. With support and opportunities to stretch themselves, global fellows can return to their home universities with new knowledge, stronger relationships, and a renewed commitment to contributing to their communities.

Welcoming the next generation

In August 2026, the Foundation announced the 2027 Morehead-Cain Global Fellows.

The twelve global fellows represent Brazil, India, Malaysia, Nigeria, and Turkey, with interests spanning biotechnology, computer engineering, law, nursing, finance, and other disciplines.

Many arrived with established records of leadership and service.

For example, Sidney Chong, a biotechnology student from Malaysia, serves as chief strategy officer of a student-led social enterprise that converts food waste into sustainable livestock feed to support underserved communities. Her work reflects an important dimension of Morehead-Cain’s selection philosophy: identifying individuals who are already using their talents and initiative to improve the lives of others.

At Carolina, global fellows gain new opportunities to deepen their knowledge, navigate unfamiliar challenges, and build relationships across cultures and disciplines. In turn, their experiences and perspectives enrich the Morehead-Cain community and the broader University.

Expanding opportunity, sustaining a legacy

Sophomore Selection and the Global Fellows Program reflect two distinct approaches to a shared purpose.

One recognizes leadership emerging within the Carolina community. The other brings promising leaders from universities around the world to Chapel Hill. Together, they build on Morehead-Cain’s longstanding commitment to seeking out promising young people from a wide range of places and experiences, strengthening a community in which scholars learn from one another’s perspectives as well as their own.

Both expand our ability to identify, invest in, and empower young people who demonstrate the character, curiosity, initiative, and commitment to others that have long distinguished Morehead-Cain.

They also reflect Morehead-Cain’s conviction that leadership is learned through purposeful practice, not simply through academic instruction.

High expectations encourage scholars to take ownership of their journeys. Stretch experiences invite them to move beyond what is comfortable and discover new capabilities. Sustained engagement connects them with peers, mentors, and alumni who challenge and support their growth.

These principles remain central as Morehead-Cain evolves to meet the needs of new generations of leaders. And this growth is possible through the generosity of a community that continues to invest in the promise of others.

As we celebrate a decade of the Morehead-Cain Day of Giving, these new pathways offer an opportunity to reflect on what alumni generosity has made possible and what it can make possible for future generations.

Thank you for opening the door for the next generation of Morehead-Cain leaders.

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