Hornets Ready to be Devils

By Mindy B. Hagen

DURHAM -- Two of Hillside High School's top seniors won't have to travel far to continue their education.

Thanks to a combined $182,000 in scholarship money, Charisse Phillips and Jaymeson Morris will be able to attend Duke University in the fall. And both students say they are excited to become Blue Devils.

"I'm really ready for a new challenge," Phillips said. "Every time I step on that campus, I just feel at home."

Phillips, who received a scholarship totaling $98,000 over four years, is president of Hillside's student council and ranks third in her class with a 4.76 grade point average. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Mu Alpha Theta Math Club and four-year member of the varsity track team.

A volunteer at an area homeless shelter and mentor at Greater St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, Phillips said she hopes to study economics at Duke.

"A degree from any field at Duke can get you far in life," she said. "My family is so excited. With the financial burden of attending college, the scholarship really helps us out. The scholarship amount just blew me away."

Morris, who is Hillside's senior class valedictorian with a grade point average of 5.2, received a four-year scholarship totaling nearly $84,000. A member of Hillside's soccer team and of the school's Hornets in Harmony show choir, Morris also is a National Merit Finalist and studied English at the Governor's School last summer.

He said he plans to study linguistics at Duke -- but that he'll also spend a considerable amount of time tenting with the Cameron Crazies in hopes of scoring basketball tickets.

"I've always been a Duke fan," Morris said.

Phillips and Morris both participated in Hillside's International Baccalaureate Program and said they think their challenging high school courses will help prepare them for Duke's rigorous academics.

"There's a lot of research involved in IB classes, and I know that will be helpful," Morris said. "We've both already experienced the difficulty of taking college-level courses."

According to Duke's admissions office, the total estimated cost of attending the university for one year is $41,820. That includes the 2004-05 tuition cost of $29,770, as well as other fees, room and board, books and personal expenses. Nearly half of the university's undergraduate students receive some form of financial aid assistance.

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