WICHITA — Emma Elliott, Lyons High School, is one of six freshmen students for the fall semester at Fort Hays State University who have been selected to receive full-ride scholarships from the Rudd Foundation in Wichita. 

The latest round of Rudd Scholars also includes 18 Kansas high school seniors who have chosen to attend Wichita State University. Among them are area seniors Ashlyn Armstrong, Central Plains High School in Claflin, and Riley Jaske, Sterling High School in Sterling.

Following a competitive application process that focused on the students and their life stories, the sixth class of Rudd Scholars was chosen based also on the students’ academic accomplishments, test scores, and extracurricular activities.

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 and will attend Wichita State, Emporia State or Fort Hays State.

“The Rudd Foundation continues to lead the way in supporting Kansas students in reaching their educational goals and career dreams,” said Bobby Gandu, assistant vice president and director of undergraduate admissions. “We’re in awe of the work the Rudd Scholars team does to not only help their students graduate from college-debt free, but by pushing them to go further than they ever would have imagined.”

In addition to living on campus and carrying a full load of classes toward their college degree, scholars will receive mentoring and success coaching to help them graduate in four years. They will also participate in many developmental activities outside the classroom, 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.

“This scholarship is life-changing for these students and their families, as it opens the gateway to powerful mentoring, study abroad experiences, high-value internships and a statewide network of Rudd Scholars who graduate ready to lead and impact Kansas communities,” Gandu said.

This brings the greater total of Rudd Scholars studying at WSU to 63 students, the most of any Kansas Board of Regents institution. Total, there will be 109 Rudd Scholars enrolled at the three universities. Since 2018, the Rudd Foundation has awarded 168 scholarships, representing a $9 million commitment.

The Rudd Scholarship, sponsored by the Rudd Foundation, aims to remove financial barriers to a college education. Chosen scholars are expected to achieve a high level of excellence on campus in preparing themselves to be leaders in their profession and in their communities after graduation.