Two Prep Seniors Earn Prestigious Scholarships

Zachary Hamed (XXVI/Collegiate '10) was awarded the Jefferson Scholarship to attend the University of Virginia. Only 25 of these scholarships are awarded nationally to students “of extraordinary intellectual range and depth who possess the highest qualities of leadership, scholarship, and citizenship.” Zach is interested in studying engineering, an area for which he has shown early promise. After his sophomore year at Collegiate, he spent the summer at Harvard taking two computer science classes. In addition to earning A’s in both classes, he won first prize in the end-of-term artificial intelligence project, surpassing the skills of a class of mostly graduate students. Zach is deeply involved in an array of extracurricular activities in the Collegiate and Prep for Prep communities.

Akilah Ffriend (P9 XIX/Deerfield '10) has won the coveted Morehead-Cain Scholarship to attend UNC-Chapel Hill. Scholars become part of “a community of gifted and committed young leaders striving to achieve excellence. ...” A Bronx native, Akilah is a four-year honor roll student at Deerfield who has shown tremendous leadership in community service with a local elementary school, the Big Brothers Big Sisters program, and a Bronx summer camp. She also earned scholarships to study in both Switzerland and Uruguay. Interested in attending medical school, Akilah interned at the Weill Cornell Medical College last summer.

Both scholarships have been won by Prep alumni in years past: Kadeem Cooper (XXII/Poly Prep '06, Univ. of Virginia) and H. Andrew Patterson (XVIII/St. Bernard's '98, Horace Mann '02, UNC-Chapel Hill '06).

Congratulations to the students and their families.

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