Maryland the Next Chapter for Drew Hamilton '18
Recent graduate is a Banneker/Key Scholarship winner
Drew Hamilton '18 and the University of Maryland were meant to be.
For starters, both of Drew's parents are Maryland graduates. And even though Cindy and Eric never explicitly steered their son in that direction, Drew became a Terrapin nonetheless when the fifth-year Christ School student won the Banneker/Key Scholarship.
The Banneker/Key is the most prestigious academic award for Maryland undergraduates. The full scholarship will allow Drew to pursue a double major in Computer Science and Physics. In fact, he was in Maryland on Wednesday for orientation.
"It was really surprising when I found out I had gotten the scholarship. I wasn't expecting it at all and it's a big boon for me," Drew said. "This will be a huge bonus for my resume. The scholarship really opens the door to a lot of opportunities. (Maryland) has one of the strongest Physics programs in the country and there are only 190 kids who major in it. So even though Maryland is by no means a small place, this will be how I wanted my social life to feel. I wanted to find a steady group of friends."
Drew, who is from Asheville, came to Christ School in the eighth grade despite the fact that an older brother, Jack, had attended Asheville School. As a senior, Drew sang in the choir and was a member of UNC Asheville's FIRST robotics team, called GLITCH. Drew walked across the stage in Yard A to receive his diploma and bible in May, and since then has been on campus this summer helping out in the Technology Department.
"I really liked it here. If I had it to do all over again, I would pick Christ School again," Drew said. "The teachers, especially, made this such a good experience for me."
