20 graduating high school seniors receive full-ride scholarships to attend MSU

Twenty incoming students have been awarded an Alumni Distinguished Scholarship or University Distinguished Scholarship that will cover full tuition, room and board and a stipend for up to eight semesters of study at MSU.

The scholarships are valued at about $120,000 for in-state students and approximately $200,000 for out-of-state students.

The newest Alumni Distinguished Scholars and University Distinguished Scholars hail from Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Wisconsin, California, Georgia, Kentucky, Colorado, Massachusetts and Arkansas.

“As students are reminded throughout the recruitment process, it is not only what MSU offers them once on campus, but also what they will accomplish toward making our world-changing university even greater,” said Jim Cotter, director of admissions.

All students receiving an Alumni Distinguished Scholarship or University Distinguished Scholarship will be members of the Honors College.

“The Honors College gives students an all-access pass to MSU, breaking down barriers for talented people to flourish,” said Cynthia Jackson-Elmoore, dean of the Honors College. “We congratulate these students on earning these prestigious scholarships and look forward to seeing them succeed at university.”

Alumni Distinguished Scholars were selected from more than 1,200 of the top high school seniors who applied to MSU and took an intensive general knowledge exam in the winter. A committee comprising faculty and administrators selected them based on the results of the exam, high school programs, achievements and other standardized test scores.

The Alumni Distinguished Scholars are:

• Noah Ankney – Advanced Mathematics, Computer Science (Bath High School, Bath, Michigan)

• Madison Bowden – Environmental Engineering (Salem High School, Canton, Michigan)

• John Buhl – Lyman Briggs College (East Lansing High School, East Lansing, Michigan)

• Sarah Caldwell – Chemical Engineering (Brighton High School, Brighton, Michigan)

• Benjamin Conte – Music Education (South Forsyth High School, Cumming, Georgia)

• Lindsay Guare – Biochemistry, Molecular Biology (Deerfield High School, Deerfield, Illinois)  

• Kyle Kierzyk – Chemical Engineering, Computational Mathematics (Wheaton Warrenville South High School, Wheaton, Illinois)

• Ethan Lau – Mechanical Engineering (El Toro High School, Mission Viejo, California)

• Jacob Loukota – Computer Science (Bentonville High School, Bentonville, Arkansas)

• Joshua Montgomery-Patt – James Madison College (Niles North High School, Skokie, Illinos)

• Sriram Motheram – Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering (Canton High School, Canton, Michigan)

• Madison Patrus – Lyman Briggs College (L'Anse Creuse High School North, Chesterfield, Michigan)

• Joseph Riordan – Biosystems Engineering (Solon High School, Solon, Ohio)

• Evan Suttell – International Relations (Lakewood High School, Lakewood, Ohio)

• Collin Syler – History Education (Utica Academy for International Students, Utica, Michigan)

University Distinguished Scholars were chosen from an MSU applicant pool based on academic records and accomplishments. The director of admissions and the dean of the Honors College selected students based on their high school programs, achievements, standardized test scores and interviews with the finalists.

The University Distinguished Scholars are:

• Nathan Dutch – Finance, Computer Science (Henry Clay High School, Lexington, Kentucky)

• Maura Glynn – Neuroscience (Steamboat Springs High School, Steamboat Springs, Colorado)

• Rylie Hendren – Advanced Mathematics (Muskego High School, Muskego, Wisconsin)

• Parker Nolan – Finance (Royal High School, Simi Valley, California)

• Jonathan Sheehan – Astrophysics (Boston College High School, Quincy Massachusetts)