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13 Top Students From Carolinas Named BN Duke Scholars

Merit scholarship covers all costs, other opportunities

Thirteen incoming first-year students from North and South Carolina have been awarded the Benjamin N. Duke Memorial Scholarship at Duke University.

The scholarship covers the full cost of tuition, room, board and mandatory fees for four years of undergraduate education. In addition, B.N. Duke scholars have access to generous funding for domestic and international summer experiences, including opportunities for independent research both in the summer and during the academic year. The full value of each scholarship is estimated to be more than $315,000 over four years.

The award is given to students from the two states who have demonstrated high academic achievement, a commitment to community service and potential for leadership.

The scholarships were established by The Duke Endowment to honor Benjamin Newton Duke, one of the university's founders.

The Class of 2023 recipients are:

  • Alexus Roberts of Rock Hill, South Carolina, a graduate of York Preparatory Academy
  • Austin Smith of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a graduate of Richard Joshua Reynolds High School
  • Bethlehem Ferede of Durham, North Carolina, a graduate of Charles Edward Jordan Senior High School
  • Brandon Scarberry of New Bern, North Carolina, a graduate of The Epiphany School of Global Studies
  • Daniela Rubio of Lexington, North Carolina, a graduate of Lexington Senior High School
  • Devon Anthony of Summerville, South Carolina, a graduate of Cane Bay High School
  • Erin Blanding of Indian Trail, North Carolina, a graduate of Sun Valley High School
  • Gianni Lacey-Howard of Durham, North Carolina, a graduate of the City of Medicine Academy
  • Jessee Steele of Bryson City, North Carolina, a graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
  • Jonah Perrin of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, a graduate of Carrboro High School
  • Kaycee Hailey of Charlotte, North Carolina, a graduate of West Charlotte High School
  • Leonel Rangel Jimenez of Durham, North Carolina, a graduate of the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics
  • Victor Clifton of Henderson, North Carolina, a graduate of Henderson Collegiate High School.

For more information about the incoming class of B.N. Duke Scholars, visit the scholarship's website at https://www.ousf.duke.edu/page/BNDuke.