Washburn University to honor Shawnee County’s top high school seniors

Topeka, Kan. - Washburn University is set to honor the highest-achieving students in Shawnee County during its fifth-annual Shawnee County Honors Scholar Reception.

The reception, which will take place at 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 16, in White Concert Hall on the Washburn University campus, honors the top 10 percent of high school seniors from across the county. Families, students and school leaders will be on hand as each student is called to the stage to receive a medal and certificate. Washburn's Acting Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management, Dr. Steven Bryant-Collier, will open the program, followed by remarks from Washburn University President JuliAnn Mazachek.

"There are so many incredibly talented individuals in our Shawnee County school systems, and we're beyond thrilled to be able to honor those students who have gone that extra step academically," Bryant-Collier said.

Besides giving recognition to high-achievers, Washburn University and the Washburn Institute of Technology (Washburn Tech) have made concerted efforts to invest in local students and provide more equitable access to higher education in a variety of ways, including a lower-cost Concurrent Enrollment Program (CEP) at just $125 per credit hour. Washburn also offers a variety of scholarships designed specifically for students from Shawnee County and Northeast Kansas, including:

- The Shawnee County Promise and Northeast Kansas Advantage, last-dollar scholarships that provide a tuition-free path to a bachelor's degree for qualifying students in Shawnee County and Northeast Kansas, respectively
- The Shawnee County Thrives Scholarship, a renewable $1,000 award for local high school graduates with at least a 2.0 GPA
- The Wiseman Scholarship, which awards $500 to eligible students from Topeka High School, Topeka West High School and Highland Park High School

"Washburn University and Washburn Tech's success is directly tied to the success of Shawnee County's students," Bryant-Collier said, "whether that's through our lower-cost CEP, direct admissions from high school, transfer students who come back home to Topeka to continue their education or adult learners who are looking to make a career change. Our goal is to continue to provide the resources necessary for our local students to thrive."

Additional resources for Shawnee County students include:

- GPA-based academic scholarships that are automatically awarded upon acceptance to Washburn (applying is free)
- Free parking, bus rides, gym access and admission to athletic and campus events
- The Garvey Scholarship Competition, which awards $1,500 to the winners of an essay-writing contest
- ScholarshipUniverse, a scholarship-matching tool that Washburn offers to make finding external scholarships easier
- Direct assistance with filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which opened on Sept. 24

To learn more about the Shawnee County Promise, Thrives and other scholarships available to local students, visit Washburn.edu/scholarships. Complete your free application at Washburn.edu/apply.

- 30 -

For further information, contact:
Joy Bailes
Director of Internal Communications and Brand Management
Telephone: (785) 670-2153
Cell: (785) 230-1648
Email: [email protected]