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News Release

Eleven students named WSU Distinguished Scholarship Invitational finalists

Jan. 23, 2019
By WSU Strategic Communications

Contact: Mandy Harmon, associate director, Office of Admissions, 316-978-5697 or mandy.harmon@wichita.edu.

High resolution image available

DSI finalists. Aidan Hill not pictured.

Wichita State University has chosen the top 11 finalists in the annual Distinguished Scholarship Invitational (DSI).

They are:

  • Emma Bigham, Herington High School
  • Ashley Bland, Muriel Williams Battle High School, Missouri
  • Sarah Buie, homeschool student from Derby
  • Aidan Hill, Trinity Catholic High School
  • Kathleen Miller, homeschool student from Arlington
  • Rija Nazir, Wichita Northeast Magnet
  • Shabri Pelia, Wichita East High School
  • Gehad Qaki, Wichita Collegiate School
  • Natalie Roach, homeschool student from Fort Leavenworth
  • Anna Tri, Andover Central High School
  • Daegiona Wilson, Wichita South High School

The students competed in DSI on Saturday, Nov. 17, with 607 total students competing. Three of the finalists will be selected as recipients of the Harry Gore Memorial $64,000 scholarship, which are among the largest undergraduate awards in the Midwest.

To be invited to compete in the invitational, students had to have a 27 or higher ACT score, or a 3.5 or higher GPA, or rank in the top 10 percent of their class. The 11 finalists this year have an average ACT score of 27 and average GPA of 3.80.

Once invited, students completed an application, including essays and competed in an on-campus leadership competition. Finalists came back to campus Thursday, Jan. 17 for final interviews.

The announcement of the Gore Scholars will be at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 25, in the Marcus Welcome Center. All finalists will receive competitive scholarship packages to attend WSU in the fall of 2019.

The mission of Wichita State University is to be an essential educational, cultural and economic driver for Kansas and the greater public good. Wichita State is a doctoral research university enrolling nearly 15,000 students and offering 59 undergraduate degree programs in more than 150 areas of study in seven undergraduate colleges. The Graduate School offers 45 master's and 12 doctoral degrees that offer study in more than 100 areas. Wichita State's Innovation Campus is an interconnected community of partnership buildings, laboratories and mixed-use areas where students, faculty, staff, entrepreneurs and businesses have access to the university's vast resources and technology. For more information, follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/wichitastate and Facebook at www.facebook.com/wichita.state.

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