Highland Park high school senior named Clemson National Scholar

by PegNews wire

Highland Park High School senior Elizabeth Sloan was recently selected as a Clemson National Scholar for 2007, one of only 16 students in the nation, and the only student in Texas, to earn the elite honor.

Elizabeth’s outstanding academic background, leadership potential, and an in-person interview with a National Scholars panel of judges were among the criteria considered for the highly competitive award. The benefits are considerable, including a full scholarship -- tuition, fees, room, board, books, supplies, personal expenses -- and the use of a laptop computer.

In addition, the scholarship includes the National Scholars Summer Experience during which students study at the University of Sussex in England and travel for a week in Scotland the summer after their freshman year. The scholarship also includes two years of graduate school, plus personal expenses.

“I am so honored to have been chosen as a Clemson National Scholar,” Elizabeth said. “Clemson is in such a beautiful part of the country, and I am so lucky to be going there in the fall. When I visited, I fell in love with the campus from the beginning, and I knew immediately that this is where I belonged. Receiving the word that I was named a Clemson National Scholar was just the icing on the cake.”

In addition to earning the Clemson National Scholarship, Elizabeth has been selected for the Calhoun Scholars Program, a new competitive offering at Clemson. The enrichment program offers classes to sections of fewer than 20 students led by some of Clemson’s most outstanding professors. Its aim is “to engage (students) in the study and discussion of ideas, competing philosophies, and scientific discoveries that have shaped and reshaped societies through the ages,” according to a letter from Director Stephen H. Wainscott.

This summer Elizabeth will participate in Clemson’s “Eureka!” program, which is designed for honors students with an emphasis on research and scholarly excellence. Elizabeth is pursuing a degree in biomedical engineering, and she will be working with the department chair and other leading scholars. Students also have a chance for recreation together, sharing white-water, hiking, cultural and sports excursions. The program is by invitation only and is limited to 40 incoming freshmen.

Source: HPISD