Wichita State University has selected the 2025 recipients of the Harry Gore Memorial Scholarships. Each student will receive a $64,000 scholarship to attend Wichita State in August 2025.

• Maddie Sohm, Russell High School
• Beckett Sollars, Park Hill Senior High School (Missouri)
• Aidan Thibodeau, Herington High School

The students competed in the Distinguished Scholarship Invitational in November, with 548 other students also competing. To be invited to compete in the invitational, students had to have a 27 or higher ACT score, a 3.5 or higher GPA, or rank in the top 10% of their class. Once invited, students completed an application, including essays and competed in an on-campus leadership competition. Twelve finalists came back to campus Jan. 23 for final interviews.

As with Gore Scholars before them, the three recipients this year are involved in their schools and communities and plan to do the same at WSU.

Maddie Sohm will be majoring in industrial engineering at Wichita State. She currently serves as president of Student Council and National Honor Society at Russell High School. Sohm is a varsity athlete for volleyball, basketball, track & field and is the captain of her high school dance team. In Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA), Sohm resides as the chapter president and was a state and national qualifier in 2024. She serves the community of Russell by serving food at a local church, organizing elementary school events, leading Sunday School and creating birthday baskets for the homeless. 

Sollars plans to major in nursing. Sollars is a four-year participant and team captain of his school’s soccer team, participant in track & field and upperclassmen team leader for wrestling. He serves as the senior class president on Leadership Council and has spoken at over 35 public speaking engagements representing his high school. Sollars has completed two internships while in high school: the Aspiring Medical Professional Internship where he shadowed in three Kansas City area hospitals and is currently interning with the Kansas City Sports Network this spring semester.

“Beckett is one of the most authentic students I have ever met,” said Poppy Lee, Beckett’s LEAD Innovation Studio math teacher and Student Council Sponsor. “His energizing personality and ability to relate to people of all ages is uncanny. He is always the first to volunteer to help and will always put his best foot forward. He works effortlessly to get the job done and then volunteers for the next. All I have ever heard about Beckett is positive. I have no doubt that Beckett will continue to be an outstanding leader at Wichita State.”

“To me the traits that I believe will unquestionably make Mr. Sollars successful at the university level, beyond the basic student skills, are his growth mindset, resilience and perseverance, and confident humility,” said Daniel Motta, Beckett’s design thinking teacher and AP teacher for three years. “He has learned to have faith in his abilities while maintaining an openness and willingness to rethink ideas. To me, this is the whole point of academia and scholarship — having the willingness to question assumptions and do the work to validate or change your thinking.”

Thibodeau is planning to study health science with aspirations to become a physician associate. He currently serves as president of his local chapter of Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) and is the executive vice president for the state board of FBLA. Thibodeau is the captain of the Herington High School Cheer Squad, president of National Honor Society and chief editor of the Herington High School Yearbook.

“Aidan has made a tremendous positive impact on our school, community and our cheerleading team,” said Kymberly Harper, Herington High School cheer coach. “Aidan has a strong work ethic and is dedicated and disciplined. He always puts in the effort to achieve goals and inspire others to do the same. Aidan has a positive attitude which creates a motivating atmosphere and encourages others to stay focused and confident. Aidan thrives in new and challenging environments and is able to quickly adjust to find creative solutions. Aidan consistently strives to do his best, setting high standards for himself and those around him.”

“Aidan does an amazing job of putting himself in situations that give him opportunities,” said Lisa Beye, FBLA sponsor, business teacher and athletic director in Herington. “He takes on these opportunities to the best of his abilities and is willing to go above and beyond for others. He is a very hard-working individual with a caring personality.”

Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and WSU Tech, including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student centered and innovation driven.

Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry-funded engineering R&D and No. 8 overall for engineering R&D.

The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.

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