Three area high school seniors have been awarded Wichita State’s Harry Gore Memorial Scholarship. Each student will receive $64,000 to attend WSU.

The scholarship has been awarded annually since 1954 to freshmen entering WSU who display outstanding potential for leadership. It has become one of the most prestigious and coveted awards in the United States.

The winners – chosen out of a pool of 82 semi-finalists and 11 finalists during the Distinguished Scholarship Invitational – are Sarah Buie, Derby, homeschool; Anna Tri, Andover Central High School; Gehad Qaki, Wichita Collegiate School. 

Sarah is interested in studying elementary education at Wichita State. She’s the founder of the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science Mentor Program and was selected as the Number 1 Novice Debater in her first year of debate.

Outside of the classroom, Sarah is head teacher in children’s ministries at her church and volunteers 20 hours a week in two middle school classrooms.

“Sarah has set a standard of excellence from the beginning,” said Lori Schock, gifted facilitator and English teacher at Derby High School. “Her work ethic and willingness to challenge herself are outstanding. Sarah has demonstrated the ability to face the unknown with diligence and determination and find satisfaction. At WSU, she will be a valued member of any organization as she never identifies a problem without also proposing a solution.”

Anna is interested in studying biomedical engineering at WSU. She has been president of the Kind Campaign for two years at Andover Central High School, where she organized volunteers to write words of encouragement to students, staff and teachers.

Anna is also president of the Hispanic Honors Society, is historian for National Honor Society and a VoluntTeen at Wesley Medical Center.

“Anna is an amazingly driven and dedicated young person, and her work ethic is unmatched,” says Jenn Clark, youth services manager at the Andover Public. “I know her level of commitment to everything she does will make her an outstanding student leader at WSU.”

Gehad is interested in studying aerospace engineering at WSU. He is Student Council president and a varsity letterman in cross country and tennis at Collegiate. He also competed in and placed at individual and team math competitions all four years of high school.

Gehad played the lead role in Collegiate’s production of “Into the Woods” and is one of seven members on the Islamic Society of Wichita Youth Leadership Committee.

“He is kind, hard-working, creative, diligent and committed,” says principal Chris Ashbrook. “Gehad’s ability to find the positive in any situation and build on that positive instead of focusing on the negative has inspired our entire community. Gehad is committed to being his best self each and every day and is the kind of person you want to be around because he makes you better.”

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.