WSU’s College of Engineering has named the latest group of high school seniors to be awarded Wallace Scholarships worth $285,000.

Carly Overacker, who plans to major in engineering technology at WSU, is the winning THS senior.

Wallace Scholarship recipients will receive $28,500 each to attend Wichita State for four years. In addition, one student already receiving the Gore Scholarship also will be designated as a Wallace Scholar.

After working at a local fast-food restaurant for a year and coaching young swimmers with the Tongie Tidal Waves, a local swim club, for two seasons, Overacker found her passion in helping the community and the environment. Volunteering in the bi-weekly collection of recyclables at THS and seeing the waste produced by the fast-food industry led her to engineering technology as a way to put her skills toward the greater good, according to a release from WSU.

As a founding member of Tonganoxie’s robotics and battle-bots team, she has been a team captain since its inception in 2018. The team won BotsKC’s Innovation Award in 2019 for the first use of pneumatics in competition history.

During her high school career, Overacker served as the Foreign Language Club president, Science Olympiad treasurer, and a two-year member of the National Honors Society at Tonganoxie High. In her free time, she enjoys handmade arts and crafts, reading (she is currently completing a 100-book bucket list), playing games of all sorts, and spending time with her family.

Wallace Scholars are a community of more than 40 engineering students, representing every class and nearly every major in the College of Engineering. Wallace Scholars are involved on the Wichita State campus and within the Wichita community to promote engineering, math, science, leadership, and community service.

Selection for the Wallace Scholarship is based on recipients’ high school grade-point averages, ACT scores and performance at the annual Wallace Invitational for Scholarships in Engineering (WISE), which took place virtually in November and drew 209 students from 17 states.

The Wallace Scholarship is made possible through the Dwane and Velma Wallace Endowment, created in 1976, which supports scholarships for engineering and computing students and provides funds for the College of Engineering. Since 1980, the endowment has benefited more than 360 engineering and computing majors at Wichita State.

Other Kansas recipients are: Zach Berry, Park City, Wichita Heights High School, undecided engineering; Luke Cotter, Princeton, Central Heights High School, aerospace engineering; Lexi Dixon, Overland Park, The Barstow School, engineering technology; Jameson Parks, Atchison, Atchison High School, undecided engineering; Jacob Rees, Andover, Andover Central High School, undecided engineering; Zephan Rodriguez, Westwood, Bishop Miege High School, aerospace engineering; Riley Vandaveer, Olathe, Olathe South High School, mechanical engineering; and Braden Webb, Leawood, Blue Valley North High School, computer science.

Missouri recipients are Jackson Lane, Grain Valley, Grain Valley High School, aerospace engineering; and Alex Harms, Kansas City, Park Hill High School, computer science.