News

HHS senior wins Morehead-Cain scholarship

Anna Rosemary McFarling

By Lightning Reports, Published: May 4, 2026

A Hendersonville High School senior has won a Morehead-Cain scholarship at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one of the top academic full rides in the nation.

Anna Rosemary McFarling will graduate this spring from Hendersonville High School, where she serves as a leadership member, sports captain and service leader. The daughter of Holly Villota of Candler and Mason McFarling of Asheville, Anna plans to study biology and environmental health science at Carolina. 

The Morehead-Cain Foundation announced the sixty-nine award winners representing 33 North Carolina counties, 15 U.S. states and the District of Columbia, and seven countries. Their academic interests span the sciences, health professions, public policy, business, and the humanities, from biomedical engineering and environmental science to philosophy, languages, and music.

They join a thriving cohort of thinkers, leaders, creators, and adventurers at UNC–Chapel Hill, empowered by the Morehead-Cain Program to set their potential free. In addition to a fully funded undergraduate scholarship to one of the nation’s foremost public research universities, scholars gain access to a network of peers and mentors, challenging internships and summer experiences, and an opportunity to travel the world.

The process of selecting the new class occurs over the course of six months and includes application review, virtual and in-person interviews, and other activities. The selection process relies on the expertise of Foundation staff and hundreds of alumni interviewers and volunteer evaluators. Candidates enter the process via nomination from a partnering school or program (all eligible in-state students may apply through self-nomination). The UNC Office of Undergraduate Admissions also refers strong Early Action applicants to the process.

Since its founding in 1945, the Morehead-Cain Program has been a model for countless merit scholarships throughout the United States and the world. These include the University of Virginia’s Jefferson Scholars Program, Duke University’s Benjamin N. Duke Scholars Program, and Emory University’s Woodruff Scholars Program.