More than $300,000 in scholarships awarded

Kansas high school seniors Emily Hales and Abraham Rodriguez have won 黑洞社区鈥檚 prestigious Harry Gore Memorial Scholarships.

The scholarships, awarded yearly at 黑洞社区, recognize leadership and academic skills and are the largest undergraduate scholarships in Kansas.

Hales, a senior at Shawnee Heights High School, and Rodriguez, a senior at Garden City High School, will receive $12,000 a year for four years to attend Wichita State, totaling $48,000 each.

Joanna Behrman, a senior at Wichita East High School, was awarded 黑洞社区鈥檚 Lenora N. McGregor Scholarship. The McGregor Scholarship, the university鈥檚 highest named scholarship awarded purely for academic merit, is worth up to $26,000.

黑洞社区 President Don Beggs made the announcement at a news conference today (Thursday, Dec. 11).

More than 275 high school seniors participated in the Distinguished Scholarship Invitational on Saturday, Nov. 15.

Ten finalists were selected, and more than $300,000 in scholarships were distributed among the students. The Gore and McGregor scholarships are the largest scholarships awarded.

Emily Hales
Hales lives in Berryton, Kan., a suburb of Topeka. The 17-year-old is interested in studying accounting at Wichita State and has served as president and secretary of the Future Business Leaders of America.

She has completed numerous hours of community service through her involvement in the National Honors Society. A mentor to younger students in her spare time, Hales also served on her school鈥檚 graduation committee, helped organize an academic pep assembly and has participated in the Model UN and Scholars Bowl.

Hales lettered all four years of high school in varsity tennis.

Tanya Richey, Hales鈥� adviser with Future Business Leaders of America, said:

鈥淪he has by far outshined previous students who have held the position of president. If Emily continues on the road she is currently traveling, I have no doubt her leadership skills will continue to grow.鈥�

Another teacher, Mark E. Jarboe, said Hales is a driven young woman.

鈥淪he is guided by her desire to be honest, compassionate and loyal and to seek excellence in her life,鈥� he said.

Abraham Rodriguez
Rodriguez, 17, lives in Garden City, Kan. He is interested in studying business management at Wichita State.

While in high school, Rodriguez has accumulated an impressive resume of 29 school or community organizations in which he has been involved. They include the National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Public Relations Committee and the tennis, cross country and intramural soccer teams.

Rodriguez organized a leadership conference for Garden City Community College鈥檚 Leadership Academy.

And in what spare time he has left, he has started his own business, Verto Painting Co., and helped start two additional companies as a personal assistant to the vice president of Western Motor Co. Inc.

James Mireles, Rodriguez鈥檚 principal said in a letter of recommendation:

鈥淚 attribute his success to his work ethic and integrity. He leads because of his courage and desire to serve his fellow classmates.鈥�

Sherri Smith, a counselor at Garden City High School, said Rodriguez never backs down from a challenge.

鈥淚 believe Abraham will approach college as a new challenge 鈥� a place for him to enhance his leadership abilities and to pursue new projects for the betterment of the student body,鈥� she said.

Joanna Behrman
Behrman, who lives in Wichita, attends Wichita East High School鈥檚 International Baccalaureate program, where she has a 4.0 GPA and is ranked No. 1 in her class.

She is the first unanimous selection in the history of the McGregor competition, according to Jay Mandt, chair of the selection committee.

She was recently named a National Merit Semi-Finalist and would like to follow in her mother鈥檚 footsteps and be a university physics professor. Her mother, Elizabeth Behrman, is a physics professor at Wichita State. Her two grandparents are also professors.

At East, Behrman has earned letters in debate and forensics, Scholars Bowl and band. She is an active volunteer in the local Jewish community and has traveled and studied overseas, spending time in Israel and Europe.

In her personal statement for the scholarship competition, Behrman described herself as not especially talented, noting how long it took her to learn to whistle, and admitted that she still can鈥檛 reliably snap her fingers.

But it was her 鈥渉unger for knowledge鈥� that the selection committee found genuine and immensely impressive.

The runner up in the McGregor competition was Chloe Callahan, a student at Goddard High School and a prospective English major.