UNC Rhodes Scholar
David PerlmuttCharolette Observer
Ever since his father took him for his first golf lesson at Myers Park County Club, Paul Shorkey was smitten with the sport - especially the "mental fortitude it takes to play the game well."
Many days, you'd find him whacking away at balls, first at the country club and then for his golf team at Myers Park High, where he graduated in 2007.
Even now, at 21, Shorkey's a strong golfer. But after Sunday, he won't be known for just that.
A senior at UNC Chapel Hill, Shorkey was one of 32 American students chosen to study at England's Oxford University on the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship, the university announced Sunday.
He was one of two UNC seniors to win the honor. The other one, Laurence Deschamps-Laporte of Quebec, Canada, was one of 11 Canadians to become a Rhodes scholar, considered the world's oldest and best-known award for graduate study.
"I have this overwhelming feeling of pride to be representing UNC - and Myers Park High as well - at Oxford next year," Shorkey said. "UNC nominated me, but without the incredible teachers I had at Myers Park there's no way I'd be sitting here with this honor today."
There, in a IB psych class, he found his interest in the human mind.
At UNC, where he is a Morehead-Cain scholar, he found a love for research. He's double majoring in business administration and psychology. At Oxford, he plans to pursue a master's degree in psychological research and neuroscience. Ultimately, he hopes to become a clinical psychologist, combining research with patient service.
