• Oscar Clark, a Wichita East High School graduate, was named the recipient of the full-ride Linwood Sexton Scholarship.
• The scholarship honors Linwood Sexton, Wichita State football legend and advocate for equal opportunity and social justice.

Wichita State University has named Wichita East High School graduate Oscar Clark as the Linwood Sexton Scholarship recipient for the 2016-17 academic year.

“Oscar holds himself to a high standard in everything he does while making everyone around him feel included and important.”
– Maranda Wilson 

The scholarship is a four-year, full-ride that provides tuition and fees, on-campus housing and a book stipend.

“A very hard-working student who is an outstanding leader, Oscar holds himself to a high standard in everything he does while making everyone around him feel included and important,” said Maranda Wilson, East High’s director of bands.

A student leader

During his time at East High, Clark participated in the school’s marching band, anime club and sign language club, and was a tutor for math and physics. Outside of school, he spent time studying and volunteering for organizations such as the Wichita Food Bank.

Clark attributes his academic and personal success to the many lessons he learned from his mother, along with the continued support and motivation of his band and International Baccalaureate peers.

“Being a drum major and being in the IB program taught me important life skills, such as public speaking, time management and prioritizing,” said Clark.

Clark looks forward to attending Wichita State in the fall where he will major in Physics.

Scholarship history

The Linwood Sexton Scholarship was established in 2000 to honor its namesake, Linwood Sexton.

Sexton, a Wichita State legend in football, is a member of the Shocker Sports Hall of Fame and Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. An untiring advocate for equal opportunity and social justice, he has been honored with many awards for his efforts to promote understanding and respect among people of different racial, religious and ethnic backgrounds.

The scholarship is automatically renewed as long as the student maintains satisfactory academic progress. The application review process is completed by Sexton and staff representatives from the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Undergraduate Admissions, as well as faculty and staff from the W. Frank Barton School of Business and the College of Education.

Incoming freshmen applicants must have a minimum 3.00 grade point average and demonstrate financial need. All students are eligible to apply but preference is given to minority students majoring in business or education.