OSU’s prestigious Horizon Scholars program has named its first cohort of students

The prestigious Horizon Scholars Program at Oklahoma State University has announced its first cohort of students set to arrive on campus in the fall.

The program received over 2,300 applications from students nationwide vying to be part of the inaugural cohort. From those applications, 80 students have been selected to join the first cohort.

“This has been unlike any other scholarship process I’ve been a part of,” said Tashia Cheves, director of the Horizon Scholars program. “The video component of the application was weighed heavily in the scoring process. We really wanted to find those students who may otherwise get looked over on paper.

“We were looking for grit. We were looking for students who are going to come in and be active contributors to their educational experience. This is not the type of program where a student is going to be a passive consumer of a scholarship.”

The following is a complete list of students who have been selected:

• Ava Aguilar — Westlake High School
• John Alberts — Yukon High School
• Cayman Ashby — Jones High School
• Blake Ashley — Mustang High School
• Carsyn Barnett — Aledo High School
• Karlee Beavers — Gunter High School
  
• Sydney Beckham — Coram Deo Academy Collin County
• Kierra Belveal — Centennial High School
• Summer Bodin — Home Schooled
• Coralie Bond — Trinity Academy
• Rory Brewer — Bishop McGuinness High School
• Kade Burgess — Morrison High School
• Thomas Cabeen — Home Schooled
• Katherine Campbell — Fort Collins High School
• Lucas Carpenter — Clovis High School
• Avery Case — Woodward County
• Katie Cheung — Prosper High School
• Holly Christman — Miami High School
• Breckynn Cline — Lindsay High School
• Collier Cook — Canadian High School (TX)
• Shiloh Cook — Home Schooled
• Hadley Cooper — Powell High School
• Caleb Davis — Rock Hill High School
• Kaylen Dobbs — Celina High School
• Kaylee Dowd — Legacy Christian Academy
• Kaylee Dunbar — Rick Reedy High School
• Logan Duncan — Cache High School
• Hannah Early — North Miami High School
• DeLaney Farris — Bristow High School
• Ella Fell — Middletown Senior High School
• Sarah Ferrara — Glenda Dawson High School
• Beckett Floyd — Lone Star High School
• Evan Floyd — Home Schooled
• Ava Foraker — Comanche High School
• Tatum Fowler — Broken Arrow High School
• Hennelly Gavin — Lexington High School
• Colson Harms — Wilson Hill Academy
• Mia Hernandez — Rogers Heritage High School
• Kaylyn Holeman — Mannford High School
• Jason Hoo — Edward S Marcus High School
• Bailee Howard — Duncan High School
• Landry Hunt — Grandfield High School
• Callie Hutchison — Kiefer High School
• Jackson Koen — Plano Senior High School
• Reece Koerner — Owasso High School
• Preston Kraft — Lake Highlands High School
• Kolton Kuykendall — McKinney Christian Academy
• Sarinah Landowski — Home Schooled
• Sophiath Lawani — Prosper High School
• Hannah Linsenmeyer — Home Schooled
• Alyse Lorusso — Ramsey High School
• Jaylynn Malcolm — Perry High School
• Magdaline Marcum — Justin Wakeland High School
• Kennedy Matthews — Grove High School
• Aubrey Mekus — Union Academy
• Avery Metcalf — Olathe North High School
• Avery Minson — Rejoice Christian High School
• Payton Miramontes — Sachse High School
• Rhett Nelson — Oklahoma Christian School
• Alexis Paine — Van Alstyne High School
• Aidan Pemberton — Harding Charter Preparatory High School
• Alexander Philp — Booker T. Washington High School
• Orin Reuter — Stillwater High School
• Michael Rucker — Cascia Hall Preparatory School
• Sadie Salas — Smithson Valley High School
• Christopher Scamardo — Rock Hill High School
• Abram Scott — Mustang High School
• Jackson Simonsen — Oklahoma County
• Ella Smith — Choctaw High School
• Celine Tan — Southmoore High School
• Addison Taron — Tecumseh High School
• Avery Terrill — Oklahoma Christian Academy
• Carli Thomas — Cleveland County
• Paisley Thompson — Piedmont High School
• Garret VanDyke — Mcclave High School
• Jake Vulgamore — Canadian County
• Kaidy Watkins — Timberlake High School
• Olivia Weidner — Greenwood High School
• Carson Williams — Lake Creek High School
• Hannah Yeary — Logos Online School

The Horizon Scholars program was launched in July 2025 to attract and develop students who exemplify the Cowboy Code and demonstrate a well-rounded combination of academic and leadership potential, curiosity, ambition and a strong work ethic.

“We have some really outstanding kids in this cohort,” Cheves said. “We have some kids who may not have been able to come to OSU without this program. So, to be a part of something that has changed the course of a student’s life is really amazing.”

The program offers substantial benefits to its scholars, including:

• $7,500 per year scholarship for four years;
• $5,000 one-time award toward a study abroad experience;
• $5,000 one-time internship or work experience stipend;
• In-state tuition for all students outside of Oklahoma;
• Personalized connections with scholarship donors, including mentorship, networking and professional development;
• Ability to combine with other aid packages to ensure comprehensive support for students;
• Space in the Horizon Scholars Living Learning Program/Community, which will house all scholars together in a specialized living environment.

The program aims to provide more than financial support and instead create a unique student experience complete with study abroad opportunities, mentorship from industry leaders, relevant experiential learning and a rigorous, interdisciplinary curriculum. The program’s objective is to create well-rounded, well-read leaders who can think critically, creatively and independently. The Horizon Scholars program is a key initiative within The Code Calls $2 billion comprehensive fundraising campaign, which aims to triple the funds available for scholarships during the campaign.

“What makes this scholarship effort truly special is that it’s about more than financial support,” said Gail and Rick Muncrief, members of The Code Calls Executive Campaign Board and Horizon Scholar donors. “It’s about mentoring, connection, and walking alongside students as they discover what’s possible. When you combine opportunity with that kind of guidance, it can be truly life-changing — for students and their families.”

OSU’s goal is to recruit 20 donors to fund 100 students for the Horizon Scholars program, and so far, it has secured 16 commitments. Blaire Atkinson, president of the OSU Foundation, said donors are excited to see the impact of scholarship support through the first cohort.

“We are incredibly grateful for the families who have answered the call for us to elevate student support at OSU and who help propel the campaign forward,” she said.