Henrico High grad gets free tuition at Johns Hopkins

Completing the International Baccalaureate program at Henrico High School gave Ronald Puryear Jr. a head start on his college career in more ways than one.

At Johns Hopkins University, where he has a full-tuition scholarship, he will begin the biomedical engineering program with more than a semester of credits from his high school IB and Advanced Placement classes - plus he has learned an essential skill from the rigorous IB program.

"One of the biggest things is time management," he said, "getting things organized, not procrastinating, knowing when to take a hit and when to push.

"Some assignments in some classes have more weight than some assignments in other classes. If you put 100 percent into everything, over the long course, you will burn out."

One class that got his full attention was biology under Julie Scott in 9th and 11th grades. She noticed the effort.

"I knew he would make a difference in the world one day," she said in a note. "He is definitely a role model and one student who, in over 25 years of teaching, I greatly admire."

At Johns Hopkins, Puryear said, he will be involved in research to "explore the mechanisms of life . . . and apply it in a manner that could help people," possibly through new treatments for diseases.

Puryear was born in the Philippines and returned last summer to teach English at an elementary school near the hometown of his mother, Cristita, in the Visayas island group. His father, Ronald Puryear Sr., had served in the military in the Philippines and retired there. He also is retired from the postal service.

They came to the U.S. when their first child, Crystal, now 22, was entering elementary school. Cheryl, 14, will follow her brother to Henrico High next year.

Returning to the Philippines to teach last summer "gave me a more detailed world view," the new graduate said. "There are differences that should be bridged in the economic process to make it more equitable."

Contact Katherine Calos at (804) 649-6433 or .