Rudd Scholar Alia Michaelis enjoys the campus experience, while remaining close to
family while studying at Wichita State University.Courtesy photo
Rudd Scholars at Wichita State: Alia Michaelis
Sept. 14, 2023
By Strategic Communications
Rudd Scholars Program
Each Rudd Scholar will receive a full-ride scholarship, which includes tuition, fees,
on-campus housing, and considerable networking and coaching support along the way.
All Rudd Scholars are from Kansas.
Wichitan Leslie Rudd established the Rudd Foundation in 1994 and in 2018 the Rudd Scholars Program began honoring the Midwestern values that strengthen character and
lead to a lifetime of success in business, community, and family.
The Rudd Scholars Program helped more than 100 Kansans attend Wichita State University
and benefit from the program’s mentoring, personal and professional development, and
community.
Wichita State is proud of its role helping Rudd Scholars pursue passions and realize
dreams in the state’s largest city. Rudd Scholars at Wichita State are supported by
many developmental activities outside the classroom. They network with leaders in
their future professions, build strong relationships among themselves and serve to
help the next generation of scholars through an active and connected alumni association
after graduation.
Here's what Rudd Scholar Alia Michaelis has to say about her time at WSU:
I chose to apply for the Rudd Scholarship because I knew even before the college admissions
process that my student debt was going to just be something I had to deal with, because
my family didn’t have the resources to pay for my college education. The Rudd Scholarship
seemed like something that was just too good to pass up a chance at.
What made you want to attend Wichita State?
The main reason I wanted to attend Wichita State was because my family is here. Since
the scholarship provided on-campus housing, I was able to get a “moving away to college”
experience but was close enough to home whenever I craved a home-cooked meal.
Another major incentive to attend WSU was the plethora of opportunities that Wichita
offers that I wouldn’t have found at another school.
Tell us about your applied learning opportunities through Wichita State?
The sky is the limit when it comes to WSU’s applied learning experiences. Through
Wichita State, I was able to study in a neurological hospital in Argentina, which
directly relates to my pre-medical major and my Spanish minor.
I am also working in a biochemical research lab, which provides me with the opportunity
to apply all I’ve been learning in my science classes to a real-life study.
What advice would you give to students applying for the Rudd Scholarship?
I would advise anyone applying to the Rudd Scholarship to keep in mind: “You can never
score if you never shoot the shot.” There is no way to be awarded one of the biggest
blessings of your life if you never apply.
I never thought in a million years I would have been awarded a scholarship such as
this, but I took the chance and am so grateful I did.
About Wichita State University
Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling
almost 22,000 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 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.
