Seven Laramie High School Students Honored for UW Trustees Scholarships

Seven Laramie High School seniors took the stage in the school's auditorium on March 5, 2025, honored as recipients of the University of Wyoming Trustees' scholarship, the institution's premier academic award for Wyoming high school students. Henry Andersen, Claire Bunning, Elijah Coulter, Fisher Frude, Morgan Gelwicks, Paulo Mellizo, and Selma Piri were recognized before a gathering of family, friends, and teachers in what Principal Fred George called a defining moment for the school.

"These students are quite literally superstars at Laramie High School and I'm very proud to have them here with us today," George said. "Dedication, sacrifice and perseverance are the common characteristics of this year's award winners. I would like to thank all the mothers, the fathers, the grandparents, family and friends for raising such an incredible group of young men and women."

Bunning, who plans to major in psychology with a possible minor in ceramics, described the scholarship's significance in practical terms. "Receiving this award means I have complete freedom to explore all the areas I'm interested in," she said. "I have free rein to take a bunch of different classes and explore my opportunities."

The Trustees' scholarship is UW's most comprehensive undergraduate financial award, covering tuition up to 18 credit hours per semester, mandatory fees, and university standard double room and board for students living in university housing with a meal plan. The award runs for four years, or up to eight consecutive semesters. To keep it, recipients must maintain full-time enrollment of at least 12 credit hours each fall and spring semester and hold a 3.25 cumulative GPA.

Statewide, UW selected 100 students for its 2026 Trustees' Scholars cohort, drawing from 31 high schools and three home-school students. The average GPA among this year's recipients is 3.97, and the average ACT score is 32, according to the University of Wyoming. Albany County School District #1 stated that 13 Laramie High School students were among the 100 selected statewide, though that figure differs from the seven students named at the March 5 ceremony. The district did not publish the full list of 13 names in its announcement, and the sources available do not reconcile which award cycle or cohort the higher figure reflects.

The discrepancy is worth noting for anyone tracking how Laramie's students fared in this round of awards. UW's Institutional Communications Department can be reached at (307) 766-2929 or cbaldwin@uwyo.edu for official confirmation of the complete LHS recipient list.