FIVE years ago Rob Squire decided to “have a crack” at the John Motley Morehead scholarship to the University of North Carolina.

After doing his GCSEs at a comprehensive in Newport, Rob’s family emigrated to South Africa, but Rob returned to England to study for A levels. He wanted to try for Oxbridge, but changed his mind when he learnt of the Morehead scholarship.

“It seemed a real opportunity because for four years you are paid up with a stipend and you are given money to go off and do a summer project,” he said.

After interviews, he flew to Raleigh, the state capital, to compete with 120 American and overseas students. Rob, captain of rugby at Millfield school, won the scholarship, worth about $40,000 (about £20,650) a year.

Before his degree he was sent to learn how to climb and abseil. But in spite of the course in self-reliance, North Carolina was a struggle at first. “It’s a lot more competitive and achievement orientated than British universities,” he said. “In your first semester, you cannot even risk a C because you need to maintain an academic standard. If you’re caught drinking or using fake ID you can also lose it.”

Since then he has overcome the culture shock, mentoring British students and spending each summer on projects such as helping black South Africans to develop business plans and working for Madeleine Albright, the former US Secretary of State.

Set up in 1951 by John Motley Morehead, the founder of Union Carbide, the scholarship was designed to lure future leaders away from Ivy League universities to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

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