Courtesy photoWichitan 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:
Hometown
Andover
Major
Year
Senior
Why did you apply for the Rudd Scholarship?
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.
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