WSU to name two $48,000 Gore Scholarship winners

Two high school seniors will be introduced as the latest Gore Scholarship recipients at 11:30 a.m. today (Thursday, Jan. 26) at the Marcus Welcome Center.

The students participated in one of the largest competitions in DSI history, with 359 students competing. The two winners will receive the Harry Gore Memorial Scholarship worth $48,000, one of the largest individual undergraduate scholarships in Kansas.

The finalists are:
- Saajan Bhakta, Wichita, Kan., Wichita High School Northwest
- MaryAshton Floyd, Fort Worth, Texas, Paschal High School
- Julia Hilts, Andover, Kan., Andover High School
- Lauren Kater, Benton, Kan., Trinity Academy
- Shannan Mehler, Wichita, Kan., Classical School of Wichita
- Kelsey Pressnall, Bel Aire, Kan., Wichita High School East
- Matthew Showalter, Lincoln, Neb., Lincoln High School
- Caleb Smith, Wellsville, Kan., Wellsville High School
- Nathan Templon, Wichita, Kan., Wichita Collegiate School
- Megan Walthers, Towanda, Kan., Circle High School
- Whitney Wilson, Carbondale, Kan., Santa Fe Trail High School

To compete in the invitational, students had to have a 24 or higher ACT score and a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA.

Once invited, students completed a packet of information, including essays and letters of recommendation, and competed in an on-campus leadership competition.

All finalists will receive competitive scholarship packages to attend WSU in the fall.