$2000 Academic Scholarship Recipient
Julian graduated from Knightdale High School in Knightdale, North Carolina located in the Wake County Public School System in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is the son of Deweese and Pamela Gilyard of Raleigh, North Carolina. He graduated number 7 out of a class of 405 students, was on the “A” Honor Roll, has a cumulative GPA of 4.5 on a a5.0 scale and a SAT score that exceeded 1750. Julian will matriculate this fall at Wake Forest University in Winston Salem, North Carolina and double major in international Political and Economic Studies with a minor in Spanish and Accounting.
At Knightdale High, Julian demonstrated the capacity for academic excellence and outstanding student leadership in extracurricular activities as evidenced by his involvement in the following : marching Band, Jazz Band, Class Parliamentarian, Ethics Committee & Sickle Cell Chairman for TTA (Top Teens of America), Varsity Wrestling Team, Track Team, Student Government Executive Treasurer, Student Representative, Class President (9th – 12th) North Carolina Governor’s School (Summer 2011), House Congressional Page (11th) – Cloakroom Page.
His commitment to the betterment of his community was demonstrated through his volunteerism with the AIDS Walk, Walk for Hope, March of Dimes, Adopt-A-Highway, NAACP Usher and Skype Tutoring. He also served as Associate Minister of Telecommunications at Christian Faith Baptist Church and worked with other churches by assisting in the Meal Delivery.
His Guidance Counselor of four years – his entire high school career – said of this exemplary young man; “Julian is absolutely one of the most impressive students I have encountered throughout my career. He has taken advantage of all opportunities that life has offered so far. His is a natural leader – well rounded, highly intelligent, extremely driven and truly talented.”
Julian has chosen to pursue a college education because he plans to eventually enter law school and study at various universities. He states that he “will use the knowledge acquired from numerous universities to fortify his love for politics and to address the problems of modern America. I plan to become a congressman, write legislation to rectify the identified problems and successfully secure constituency approval and bi-partisan votes to pass the related bills. The Sampson High Alumni scholarship will allow me to seek political equally and success aiding others in the process.”