Erin Gray

Wichita senior Erin Gray has been selected to receive the Anna Elizabeth Walsh Humanities Scholarship, one of the largest awarded at Wichita State University.

Gray, 17, the daughter of Daniel and Susan Gray of Wichita, graduated in May from Northwest High School. She plans to major in creative writing in WSU's Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

The Walsh scholarship covers the recipient's costs for tuition, books, room and board and certain other expenses. It is renewable for all four years of college as long as the recipient meets academic standards, making the value of the award in excess of $50,000 over its life.

Officials in the Fairmount College of Liberal Arts and Sciences select the recipient for the prestigious scholarship, which was established in 1994 by WSU alumna Kathleen Walsh in honor of her mother, a teacher. Since then, it has been awarded to 11 students in the Fairmount College.

Gray was selected because of her 3.5 grade point average as well as a long list of accomplishments and activities, says Eunice Myers, Fairmount College associate dean.

Gray was a drum line co-captain in her school's marching band, served as vice president of the Drama Club and won a playwright competition in the Kansas Thespian Contest in 2012. She says her dream is to be a playwright.

"I really enjoy writing and especially playwriting," Gray says. "At first, I thought I might want to be a journalist, but now I want to pursue creative writing. Wichita State has a great creative writing program."

"She's clearly a leader and a talented young woman," Myers says. "We're talking about a young woman with a wide range of abilities as a musician, writer and actor/director. We're thrilled to have a student of such high quality join us at Wichita State."

Gray competed in Wichita State's Distinguished Scholarship Invitational, which awards some of WSU's most sought-after scholarships to high-achieving students.