Sixth class of Levine Scholars named

Fifteen young leaders from high schools across the United States, including 11 from North Carolina, have been named to the sixth class of UNC Charlotte’s Levine Scholars Program. They will join the University starting with the fall 2015 semester.

The prestigious merit scholarship program covers the cost of all tuition and fees, housing and meals, books, a laptop computer and summer experiences. Additional funding is provided to support community service work during the academic years. The value of the scholarship is about $105,000 for each in-state student and $155,000 for each out-of-state student.

The 11 Levine Scholars from North Carolina are:

Yousef Abdel-Rahman, Franklin Academy, Wake Forest, son of Nabil Abdel-Rahman and Elham Idris; Vidhya Balasubramanian, William G. Enloe High School, Cary, daughter of Thiagarajan Balasubramanian and Dhana Savithri; Patrick Butler, Millbrook High School, Raleigh, son of Joseph and Alexandra Butler; Seth Flynn, Mountain Heritage High School, Burnsville, son of Michael and Lisa Flynn; Beth Kingaby, Central Cabarrus High School, Concord, daughter of Evan Hyser and Shellie Kingaby-Hyser; Christopher McKinnis, Pinecrest High School, Pinehurst, son of Douglas and Paula McKinnis; Joseph Obeid, William Amos Hough High School, Huntersville, son of Nihad and Jodi Obeid; Tyler Rapp, East Gaston High School, Mount Holly, son of Michael and Nikki Rapp; Robert Russell, Mallard Creek High School, Charlotte, son of Matthew and Maria Russell; Lazar Trifunovic, Atkins Academic and Technology High School, Winston Salem, son of Milentije Trifunovic and Jasmina Varagic; Sydney Welch, East Burke High School, Morganton, daughter of Patrick and Jackie Welch.

The four out-of-state recipients are:

Eddie Angelbello, Saint Thomas Aquinas High School, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., son of Eduardo and Patricia Angelbello; Leysha Caraballo, Pembroke Pines Charter High School, Miramar, Fla., daughter of Miguel and Brenda Caraballo; Taelor Malcolm, Counterpane School, Fayetteville, Ga., daughter of Rohan and Sandra Malcolm; Danielle Miller, Downingtown STEM Academy, Downingtown, Pa., daughter of David and Kelly Miller.

This year’s recipients were selected through a lengthy nomination and interview process. Nearly 2,300 high school seniors from 26 states were nominated by their schools.

From those nominees, selection committees chose 65 finalists, including 48 from North Carolina. The out-of-state finalists were from as far away as Florida, Maryland, Massachusetts, South Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana.

“The response of top students from North Carolina and around the country continues to be outstanding,” said Chancellor Philip L. Dubois. “As with previous classes, the students who will join us this coming fall as Levine Scholars are among the very best that can be found. We’re very pleased that they have chosen UNC Charlotte.”

Diane Zablotsky, faculty director of the Levine Scholars Program, echoed these sentiments: “Over the past five years we have recruited incredible high school seniors to join the Levine Scholars Program, and the sixth, incoming class continues to meet those high standards. We look forward to welcoming these dedicated and accomplished students to the program and eagerly anticipate the contributions they will make to the university and city of Charlotte.”

The sixth group of Levine Scholars will take their place among their peers on campus in the fall 2015 semester. Throughout the school year, Levine Scholars will be expected to actively engage with established community organizations or develop their own resolution to key issues facing Charlotte.

To support their work in service to society, recipients also will have access to an $8,000 grant funded by The Leon Levine Foundation and distributed by the UNC Charlotte Foundation.

The scholarships were made possible by philanthropists Leon and Sandra Levine, who have committed over $18 million to UNC Charlotte for the merit scholarship program to develop community service leaders. Leon Levine is the founder and chairman emeritus of Matthews, N.C.-based Family Dollar Stores, Inc. The Levines are involved in a number of civic and charitable causes in the Charlotte region through The Leon Levine Foundation.

“This talented group of young people will add to the already outstanding community of scholars at UNC Charlotte,” said Leon Levine. “We are looking forward to following their progress at the university and their involvement in our community.”

For more information on the Levine Scholars Program: levinescholars.charlottewp.psapp.dev