Rebekah Jewell, 17, has received a Park Scholarship to attend N.C. State University. A senior at Clayton High School, Jewell is the daughter of Gary and Rhonda Jewell of Clayton. She wants to study biology or chemistry at N.C. State and later go to medical school to become a surgeon.

“All four of my grandparents died with cancer — three before I was born,” Jewell said. “My sister has juvenile diabetes. I have always been interested in the medical field so other families don’t have to experience the pain we have suffered with.”

The Park Scholarship is valued at $62,000 over four years. It covers tuition, fees, room and board, books and supplies. Also, Jewell will receive a $2,200 stipend for a computer and have chances to study abroad.

Jewell had considered Duke University, Elon University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, but she chose N.C. State. “UNC and Duke have really good medical schools, and N.C. State is just a wonderful university,” she said. “Although N.C. State doesn’t have a medical school, they do have biology and chemistry. I can go somewhere else for medical school.”

At Clayton High, Jewell ranks first in her class with a grade-point average of 5.036, the highest ever at the school. She is treasurer of National Honor Society, captain of the swim team, vice president of Student Government Association and a member of the cross-country team and Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Jewell is a member of Cleveland Community Church. She works with underprivileged youngsters at a community center, and she organized fund-raisers for Invisible Children and Juvenile Diabetes that brought in more than $8,000.

Danielle “Danie” Heider, 17, of the Cleveland community has received a Morehead-Cain Scholarship to attend UNC-Chapel Hill, where she plans to study history and journalism. A senior at West Johnston High School, Heider is the daughter of Yvette Heider.

Heider also received a Legacy Scholarship to attend Meredith College but opted to enroll at UNC. “Both schools offer a lot of travel, but I felt Meredith had more touristy travel,” Heider said. “Carolina had more work and explore and live there travel, so that played a lot into my decision.”

The Morehead-Cain Scholarship, valued at $80,000 over four years, covers fees, housing, meals, books, supplies, travel and a laptop computer. With the traveling opportunities, Heider hopes to visit Ireland and London.

At West Johnston, Heider is captain of the cross country and track teams, president of the National Honor Society, treasurer of Student Government and local projects coordinator for Interact. She volunteers with the Ronald McDonald House and Girls on the Run of the Triangle.

Two years ago, Heider’s sister, 13-year-old Alyssa, died in a car accident while returning from a volleyball outing with teammate Emily Mya, who also died. West Johnston staff members showed compassion to Heider while she mourned the loss of her sister.

“I think right now, I feel like this scholarship was more of a way to prove myself,” Heider said. “Last year, there was a tendency for the teachers to say, ‘Are you sure you want to take this test?’ And I didn’t want to have exceptions made for me. I worked really hard to say, ‘I am going to do this for myself.’”