Three Powell High School seniors take their Panther spirit with them as they go to Laramie for an on-campus interview, the final level in the application process for the Trustee Scholarship Award.

Alan Merritt, Lucy Sullivan and Austin Chandler were chosen from their University of Wyoming applications to complete two essay questions and after they passed that portion, to come to the campus for the interview.

“This interview was not what I expected,” Merritt said. “They asked some weird questions that I didn’t expect in a scholarship interview.”

Sullivan agreed it was a little unusual.

“In other interviews, the interviewer asks you questions that are directly about yourself,” Sullivan said. “In this case, they were asking questions about what makes a Trustee Scholar and then using your answers about the Trustees program and about the University of Wyoming to get to know you.”

There was quite a crowd at UW the days of the interview.

“There were [about] 100 people the weekend I went,” Sullivan said.

However strange the questions were, the students are hopeful about their chances, even with the large number of competitors.

“I thought it went pretty OK,” Merritt said. “They accept most of the people that they interview, so I think that I have a pretty good chance at winning it.”

According to uwyo.edu, the Trustee Scholarship is given to selected UW applicants. Through their UW applications, some students are also chosen for the chance to win the Trustee Scholarship. This decision is based on test scores, GPA, and academic rigor. The students who are selected for the next level are invited to submit a resume and two complete short-answer questions. If a student is selected after the resume and the essays for the third level, they are invited to UW for an on-campus interview.

If they receive it, the Trustee Scholarship gives students a four-year scholarship for tuition, mandatory fees, university room and board providing they reside in University housing and has a meal plan with the college. To keep the scholarship, students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 or higher at the end of each school year.