Scholarship Season celebrates opportunity, excellence and access
President Rick Muma
Spring at Wichita State is what I proudly call Scholarship Season. It’s a time when we celebrate opportunity, recognize excellence and reaffirm a defining value of this university: ensuring that a high‑quality education remains accessible and affordable for every student we serve.
Each year, we award some of Wichita State’s most prestigious scholarships to students whose talent, leadership and determination inspire us. This spring, those honors include students like Natalia Malcolm, a Wichita Southeast High School senior and the first recipient of the Bhagat Family Foundation Overcoming Adversity Scholarship. Her story — marked by resilience, perseverance and ambition — reminds us that scholarships are investments in students whose potential might otherwise go unrealized.
We also celebrated Noah DeVault, a Derby High School senior selected for the Mike and Mary James Scholarship, one of our premier awards supporting outstanding students in the liberal and fine arts. Noah’s academic achievement, leadership and involvement exemplify the promise we see in our incoming Shockers.
At the W. Frank Barton School of Business, Alyssa Pace, a first‑generation college student from Belle Plaine, was named the 2026 Clay Barton Scholar. Alyssa has distinguished herself as a future leader who will thrive because financial barriers have been lifted. Also from the Barton School, Wichita’s Adeline Lake and Valley Center’s Gabriel Shaffer were awarded the Professor Fran Jabara Endowed Scholarship after a rigorous application process and competition.
We also welcomed the newest Harry Gore Memorial Scholars: Mackenzie Bucl, Kayden Lankford and Samantha McClintock. Selected from hundreds of top students, these scholars represent academic excellence, leadership and a commitment to service — qualities that define the very best of Wichita State.
We also recognized the newest Wallace Scholars, high‑achieving students selected through the highly competitive Wallace Invitational for Scholarships in Engineering (WISE). Supported by the Dwane and Velma Wallace Endowment, these scholars receive significant four‑year scholarships and join a close‑knit community of future engineers and computing leaders at Wichita State.
Earlier this spring, Wichita State welcomed 17 new Rudd Scholars, recipients of a full‑ride scholarship from the Rudd Foundation that combines comprehensive financial support with mentoring, coaching and leadership development.
And our Dick Smith Scholarship was awarded to three current Shocker: Ashly Artiaga, sophomore in applied engineering; Odessa Engram, sophomore in mechanical engineering; and Devin Taylor, junior in industrial engineering.
While these prestigious awards are important, Scholarship Season also highlights a broader truth: Affordability is often the deciding factor in whether a student can pursue a college degree. That is why need‑based aid is central to our mission. Earlier this year, an anonymous alumnus made a transformational gift to support need‑based scholarships at the Barton School, directly benefiting students who face significant financial challenges — many of them first‑generation college students. Gifts like this change lives and uplift our entire community.
Our merit scholarships further recognize students who have worked hard in the classroom, while programs such as Shocker Promise underscore our commitment to access. By covering tuition and fees for eligible Kansas students from limited‑income families, Shocker Promise is opening doors for students who may never have imagined college within reach. This has been made possible in part by the State of Kansas providing an additional $8.2 million in need-based funding annually since I became president.
None of this happens without the extraordinary generosity of our donors, alumni, the governor, legislators and supporters. Their belief in Wichita State fuels scholarships, strengthens programs and transforms lives — creating a ripple effect that benefits our workforce, our economy and our region.
Scholarship Season reflects who we are at Wichita State: a university that values talent, believes in potential and is committed to ensuring that cost is never a barrier to success.
To our scholarship recipients, congratulations on this well‑earned recognition. To our supporters, faculty and staff, thank you for making these opportunities possible. Together, we are shaping a future defined by access, affordability and excellence.
Go Shockers!
Rick Muma
President, Wichita State University