Scholarship winner Emily Dunn, 18, is about to embark on an engineering degree at a top university in the United States after being accepted into a prestigious university.

The teenager was accepted into Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which was only ranked below Yale and Princeton University in a 2010 comparison. She will start her studies next month — after winning two scholarships on the Island.

Renaissance Reinsurance Ltd has pledged to give the teenager $2,500 for each of the four years of her degree, while Belco handed her $10,000 for the first year of her education.

BHS student Emily said she was "really happy" to receive the Belco award and hopes to one day work for the organisation and she said the Ren Re scholarship "means a lot".

"It's only awarded to one person and there was a large applicant pool this year. It says a lot about myself to be chosen out of so many other quality applicants," she said.

Emily said she likely won the scholarships because she is a "well rounded" person. "Being a woman in engineering helps," she added.

Not only did she fare well in academics, she also plays sports like women's touch rugby, basketball and softball.

She has also volunteered with the SPCA and YouthNet mentoring programme and plays guitar in her spare time. Both volunteer experiences have been rewarding, she said. Emily not only became an advocate for animal protection, she also built a special bond with an eight-grader through her mentorship role.

Though she is excited to embark on her first university experience, Emily is the first to admit there will be some challenges involved.

"Definitely it is going to be cold. I am looking forward to living in the city with totally new people because I went to the same school since I was five-years-old," she said.

"But it is definitely going to be hard academically. That is probably my main concern. It's going to be something I never experienced before so I am going to have to get used to that. And to living without my parents for the first time."

She encourages others her age to get involved with as much as they can at an early age, before it is required of them. "If you have to start a whole bunch of new things at the same time and try to fit it in your schedule it is harder to do."

Emily is currently an intern with ACE in their actuarial department.