WKU announced the 17 students selected to receive the 2022-23 Cherry Presidential Scholarships. 

Students selected to receive the Cherry Presidential Scholarships are awarded $16,000 annually for a total of $64,000 over four years, according to the WKU website. This is the most prestigious scholarship WKU offers. 

“Students are determined to be potential Cherry Presidential Scholarship recipients through their admissions applications,” Bryson Davis, director of Student Financial Assistance, said. 

Recipients of the scholarship are Henry Allen, Devan Bray, Karlie Brockman, McCayla Falls, Avery Hanel, James Kennedy, Charles Loewy, Coleman McIntire, Trinity Melton, Brooke Meyer, Carter Pannell, Lillian Partin, Lindsey Sargent, Haley Thacker, Mia Treinen, John Woodring and Kailey Young, according to WKU News. 

“When the student applies to the university, as long as they meet the requirements for the Cherry Presidential Scholarship, then they are offered the opportunity to attend the interview days,” Davis said.

The requirements include a minimum 3.8 unweighted high school GPA and a minimum 29 ACT or 1350 SAT score, according to the WKU website.

Students must have been admitted to WKU and had a transcript and ACT or SAT score on file by Dec. 1, 2021, in order to be considered. 

Previously, eligible students would submit an essay prior to the interviews and the top submissions would be invited to attend the campus interviews. This year was the first year that WKU invited all students who met the requirements to come to campus for the interview sessions.

Davis said the change to invite all eligible students was implemented to allow students to show the university their leadership skills and explain why they would be the best students to receive the scholarships. Davis said over 300 students attended the interviews. 

“There are various events and information sessions throughout the day for students and their parents,” Davis said. “The students then meet with an interview panel. Those students interview and go through a standardized set of questions. Later in the day, those folks are given the chance to do a proctored essay that is timed in a group setting.”

Recipients are chosen based on the quality of the interviews and essays, Davis said. 

“They have proven they have the academics to be there just by being able to participate,” Davis said. “Once they make it to the interview stage, the students are allowed to show us who’s going to be the leaders in that class.”

To learn more about the 2022-23 Cherry Presidential Scholarship recipients, visit the WKU website. 

News Reporter Madison Carter can be reached at madison.carter312@ topper.wku.edu