Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) announced today that Marshall High School senior Vivian Xue was selected to receive the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship for undergraduate study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This four-year scholarship, valued at over $140,000, provides an annual stipend to cover full tuition, housing, meals, books, supplies, travel and more. Ms. Xue is the fourth Marshall student to win the esteemed award since 2002.

"I congratulate Ms. Xue for earning this prestigious honor,” said Superintendent Edwin Diaz. “The Morehead-Cain Scholarship is one of the nation’s most coveted academic awards, and I applaud the Marshall administration and staff for providing a high-quality, rigorous academic program that supports such tremendous achievement.”

The Morehead-Cain Foundation seeks top high school students who are dynamic leaders in their schools and communities. Successful candidates will rank near the top of their class academically and exert positive and meaningful influence in non-academic areas. To be eligible for the Morehead-Cain, a candidate must show evidence of outstanding achievement in leadership, scholarship, moral force of character and physical vigor.

The full scholarship includes an annual stipend that covers full tuition and all other normal expenses, including student fees, housing, meals, books, supplies, travel, and miscellaneous. Morehead-Cain scholars also receive a laptop computer as a freshman. A summer enrichment program and Discovery Fund grants are also offered by the Morehead-Cain program.

Ms. Xue’s numerous achievements during her tenure at Marshall include: envisioning and producing a monthly school wide newspaper designed, written and published by students; leading the PUSD All Star Band as the Drum Major in the London New Year’s Parade in 2008; and currently serving as Key Club President. Her planned areas of study are International Relations and Economics. “These opportunities would not have been open to me had I never been under the care and instruction of some amazing Marshall teachers,” Vivian stated.

“We are extremely excited to have another Morehead-Cain scholar at Marshall. Vivian exemplifies the best that Marshall students represent and we expect great things from her in her future endeavors,” said Marshall Principal, Keith Derrick. Marshall is the only California school, public or private, to have four Morehead-Cain Scholarship recipients. Fewer than ten schools have had more than two winners.