NEHS Merit and Honor Scholarship Winners for 2014-2015

Matthew Muller
Porta High School
Petersburg, IL

Matthew ranked seventh in his class and was involved in multiple organizations such as NHS, NEHS, and Key Club. Matthew was the president of his school’s chapter of NHS and served as class president. In addition to academics, Matthew participated in basketball for four years and was the team captain his junior and senior seasons earning Associated Press Honorable Mention All-State his senior year. Matthew has entered the University of Iowa, studying medicine. Throughout high school Matthew eagerly participated in multiple literary contests and writing has always been atop his academic interests.

Julie Nguyen
Parkway Central High School
Chesterfield, MO

Julie Nguyen was a senior at Parkway Central High in Chesterfield, Missouri. She is attending the University of Missouri in Columbia. Julie plans on majoring in chemical engineering, but she is not about to let her writing skills wither from disuse! She knows they will come in handy when she has to write reports. Plus, whenever she is stressed out or extremely bored, she writes—sometimes about very mundane things like the weather. Julie plays the viola and has played in state and national orchestras. Of course, she also enjoyed her English classes.

Brianne Ed
Porta High School
Petersburg, IL

Brianne Ed, the daughter of Mark and Georgia Ed, attended PORTA High School in Petersburg, Illinois. Throughout her high school career, she was involved in the National Honor Society, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Student Council, Future Problem Solvers, Community Problem Solvers, and choir, in addition to being named a Student of the Month at her school and an Illinois State Scholar. She was the vice president of the PORTA chapter of the National English Honor Society, and within the chapter she participated in National Novel Writing Month, a Renaissance band, and multiple book fairs, among other activities. Additionally, Brianne was involved in various projects throughout her church. In her free time, she enjoys reading, Brianne attends Eastern Illinois University in order to obtain a bachelor’s degree. Although she has not currently decided upon a major, through college she hopes to gain knowledge that will allow her to obtain a job within her field of study.

Yvonne Ye
Shanghai American School – Puxi
Shanghai, China

Yvonne Ye is a 17-year-old writer, dancer, distance runner, and bookworm who currently resides in Shanghai, China, but considers herself California born and bred. She enjoys running down treadmills, floundering in swimming pools, injuring herself dancing, and getting hit by Frisbees a little more than is healthy. She considers writing, not as part of the category of “free time,” but rather subsumed into the larger category of “more important than homework.” This conclusion often results in midnight epiphanies and writing-hung-over days. Yvonne is attending Yale University; while not too sure what she’ll end up studying, she knows that no matter what, writing will definitely be involved.

Catherine Denz
Hereford High School
Parkton, MD

After graduating from Hereford High School in Parkton, Maryland, Catherine is continuing her education at the University of Maryland, College Park, pursuing a degree in Accounting and International Studies with a minor in English. While in high school, she truly enjoyed her humanities classes, especially English and History. She was involved in the local chapters of Key Club and the Future Business Leaders of America, as well as Hereford’s athletic programs. Sports have played a large role in her high school career. As a three-season athlete, playing varsity soccer and running both indoor and outdoor track, sports have given Catherine the opportunity to push herself, mentally and physically, and to meet many incredible people. The determination and self-motivation she gained from athletics endeavors, as well as the strong writing background received at Hereford, will allow her to contribute greatly to the University of Maryland community and beyond.

Casey Warter
James W. Robinson Secondary School
Fairfax, VA

Casey has lived in Northern Virginia her entire life. In high school, she played volleyball, participated in many clubs and organizations, was an IB Diploma candidate, and was the president of the National English Honor Society for two years. Casey enjoys playing volleyball, fishing, cooking, camping, and hiking with her dogs. She works as a kennel assistant at a local animal clinic and looks forward to furthering her education as an honors student at Virginia Tech, majoring in animal and poultry sciences. In the future, Casey hopes to pursue a career as a veterinarian.

Melissa Beal
Central High School, Keller
Keller, TX

Melissa Beal was a senior at Central High School. She played the French horn in the high school band, was an active volunteer, and participated in her NEHS chapter. She plans to major in Technical Writing and English with a concentration in creative writing. She aspires to become a novelist.

Katerina Barrett
Middletown High School
Middletown, MD

A 2015 graduate of Middletown High School, Katherine is attending Hood College in Frederick, MD, majoring in elementary/special education. Eventually, she wants to continue her education and complete a Master’s program, enabling her to be a Media Specialist in an elementary school. While in high school, Katherine played on the soccer team, ran track, and was a member of FFA. She was inducted into the National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society and the National English Honor Society. One of Katherine’s passions in life is horses, having been riding and involved with horses since she was six. As winner of the 2009 AMHA National Team Morgan/Win a Horse Competition, Katherine received a horse, CBMF Phoenix. In addition to teaching, she would like to work with young children outside the classroom, teaching them how to ride and care for horses.