Three students, two from Oklahoma and one from Wichita, have won Wichita State’s prestigious Harry Gore Memorial Scholarship.

Kevin Dao, Jillian Newfield and Sydney Wyatt participated alongside 617 other high school seniors in the Distinguished Scholarship Invitational (DSI) in November and emerged as the winners of the 2018 Gore Scholarship.

Each Gore Scholar will receive $16,000 a year for four years, totaling $64,000 each.

These annual WSU scholarships recognize leadership and academic skills of high school seniors and are three of the largest undergraduate scholarships in Kansas.

Kevin Dao

Dao is a senior at Wichita High School Southeast and is interested in studying entrepreneurship.

Dao serves as a student leader in various high school activities, including debate and freshman mentoring. He is a member of the Wichita USD 259 Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council, and is involved in Youth Entrepreneurs. He is currently serving as student body president.

He also volunteers for organizations including The Arc of Sedgwick County and the Wichita Annual Turkey Drive.

Marquetta Atkins, Dao’s mentor, says, “Kevin’s leadership in intrinsic, not manufactured. He’s a born leader and a humble leader. He’s a leader, not a boss; teams matter to him. He will hit the ground running at WSU.”

Jillian Newfield

Newfield is a senior at Union High School in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. She is interested in studying mechanical engineering.

Newfield has multiple scores of 10 in poetry competitions and is a member of the Writers, Readers, Audiences and Performers Club.

She is also involved in Robotics Club, Technology Student Association, Pet Adoption League. She was previously elected captain of her soccer team and is the president of Environmental Club.

Newfield is also a member of Cubes in Space, where she worked with 4th- 8th grade students to design experiments that were sent to space with the help of NASA.

“She seeks out every opportunity she is given,” says Philippa Kelly, Newfield’s AP world history teacher. “She’s the type of person who always wants to get involved; not a bystander. She has a great sense of integrity and strength of character and no fear of being herself.”

Sydney Wyatt

Wyatt is a senior at Cherokee High School in Cherokee, Oklahoma, where she currently serves as Student Council President. She is interested in studying entrepreneurship.

Wyatt is chapter vice president of Future Farmers of America and is on the Leadership Council for Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

She also worked as a page for Oklahoma Representative Carl Newton and was elected Majority Floor Leader for Mock Legislation.

She has won multiple accolades throughout high school in speech, debate, softball and basketball.

Bridget Markwood, Rotary Youth Leadership awards director, says, “Sydney’s excellent about making others feel included and bringing others into the group. She has a kind smile and gentleness, but with that gentleness, she is definitely a go-getter."

For more information on Wichita State scholarships, visit https://foundation.wichita.edu/.