Three students from New Haven who will be attending Yale as freshman in the fall have been designated as Sterling Scholars.
The students -- Marquis Clayton and Canute Foster of Hillhouse High School and Marcelle Beck of the High School in the Community -- were honored on May 16 at the Elm and Ivy Awards luncheon at Woolsey Hall, hosted by President Richard C. Levin and New Haven Mayor John DeStefano.
Sterling Scholarships are awarded each year to city students of outstanding promise, who also demonstrate "high character and scholastic merit." All three of this year's recipients are already familiar with Yale, having participated in some of the scholarly programs for high school students that the University sponsors.
Profiles of this year's Sterling Scholars follow:
Marcelle Beck will major in biology. She has taken four courses on campus and participated in the Frontiers in Science program, a series for high school students taught by Yale professors. Adept in both the sciences and humanities, Ms. Beck has been an exchange student in France, and recently helped set up a computer network at her high school, earning the gratitude of faculty and students alike. She is also a Yale Book Award winner, with diverse interests including music, drama and soccer.
Marquis Clayton took a physics course at Yale last fall, and participated in the Research & Engineering Apprenticeship Program. At Hillhouse, he is a member of the science club, plays varsity football and runs track. As president of the chess club, he is known for his will to win and his dry humor under pressure. Mr. Clayton will major in computer science and mathematics.
Canute Foster, a Jamaican citizen who came to the United States at age 10, plans to major in molecular biophysics & biochemistry. He has been mentored by a Yale chemistry professor and last year, took two courses in the Yale Summer Program. He was involved in youth ministry at his church and has been a member of his school Principal's Advisory Council. Mr. Foster's major athletic interest is tennis. He was a three-time team captain at Hillhouse, and hopes now to play for Yale. Established in 1923, the Sterling Scholarships are a Yale tradition. The scholarships are honorary and carry no financial award, although students who require financial aid receive assistance from University funds that are especially reserved for the support of local scholars.