Laura Saavedra ’21 Accepts Morehead-Cain and Coca-Cola Foundation Scholarships

By Lee-Anne Black, Editor

Laura Saavedra ’21 is the 32nd Country Day senior to be offered the prestigious and highly selective Morehead-Cain Scholarship to attend UNC-Chapel Hill. In fact, she is the seventh Country Day recipient in nine years.

YET, AS IMPRESSIVE as this achievement is, it was not a done deal for Laura given the many options she had for her college studies. Laura is also Country Day’s first recipient of the Coca-Cola Foundation Scholarship, one of the top honors for high school seniors in the country. Less than 1/6 of 1 percent of applicants are selected for this extremely competitive award. It gives Laura $20,000 to apply toward the college of her choice, and she was accepted at such highly selective schools as Stanford and Harvard. Since the Morehead-Cain fully funds all costs associated with undergraduate study at UNC-Chapel Hill for four years and includes additional programs such as four years of summer enrichment opportunities, Laura will use her Coca-Cola Foundation scholarship toward medical school.

Photo Credit: Tracy Watts

Laura, who is of Colombian heritage, was also selected as a 2020 Latinx 20 Under 20 Listmaker. Each year, LatinxEd elevates the best and brightest Latinx students across North Carolina, selecting 20 students under 20 years old who have a powerful vision and commitment to uplifting the Latinx community.

Scholar, Leader, Change Agent

At Country Day, Laura was president of the Hispanic and/or Latinx Alliance (HOLA), a member of the International Studies Board, part of the Student Diversity Awareness Executive Board, an admissions ambassador, and varsity girls’ soccer team manager. She was a top scholar inducted into the school’s Cum Laude Society. At Commencement, she was honored with the Head of School’s Award for her outstanding contributions to all phases of school life.

In addition to the huge contributions she made at school, Laura is devoted to helping the community around her. She is a volunteer tutor at Levine Children’s Hospital and organizes a summer camp, Aprende Jugando, for underprivileged kids. She is the co-owner of By Immigrant Hands, a clothing company she started in September 2019 with Manolo Betancur to empower immigrants and give back to a community that’s given so much to her and her family. All proceeds benefit charities that support the needs of immigrants. Laura is also passionate about the climate crisis and its intersectional effects. She is the co-coordinator of Extinction Rebellion Youth Charlotte and a national action coordinator for Extinction Rebellion Youth US—a movement that strives to combat climate justice by using nonviolent direct action to hold corporations and politicians accountable. She is also a group leader and soon-to-be lead consultant at STEER (Students Teaching Equitable Education Reform). She led the creation of this student-run consulting firm, received grant money, and is working with her team to launch it in the near future.

While Laura successfully managed school life and fights tirelessly for social change, she is also in constant pain. Five years ago, a soccer injury and subsequent surgeries and medical procedures have left her with chronic hip pain. Even so, she wrote in her scholarship application: “I’ve spent over 1,819 days of my life walking with an assistive device, pushing myself in a wheelchair, or riding a scooter. I’ve seen over 20 doctors and 10 therapists, had 11 MRIs, and taken countless pills. I have done it all and I’m worse than I was, but I won’t stop fighting anytime soon.”

EXCERPTS FROM LAURA’S COLLEGE RECS

“It is without hyperbole that I say Laura is the most inspirational, compassionate, selfless, humble, and motivated student I have ever encountered in my 18-year career at Country Day.” —Chris Gawle, Laura’s advisor

“Laura’s courage, tenacity, determination, and dedication to her causes is truly breathtaking; these qualities would be remarkable to find in a seasoned adult, but for Laura to discover and employ them unceasingly as a teenager is simply astounding.”

—Tim Waples, Laura’s AP English teacher