Congratulations to the 91 seniors who are matriculating to 51 colleges and universities in the U.S. and around the world! This year's class applied to a record 213 different schools from coast to coast. They will disperse from California to Massachusetts and Montana to Florida, with a number settling from Kansas to the Carolinas.
Nearly 65% of the class has chosen to pursue their undergraduate degrees outside of Indiana, and 36 students will be the only members of Park Tudor's Class of 2017 attending their university. California and Ohio tie as the top destinations with seven students heading to those states. Six students will move to North Carolina, five to Massachusetts, four to Colorado, and three each to Illinois and Pennsylvania.
Out of the $9.5 million awarded in merit scholarships, these students will be using nearly $2 million for their studies. The academic, athletic and artistic abilities of the class were richly rewarded.
The Eastern Seaboard attracted a large number of students this year. Massachusetts Institute of Technology will be home to one of our talented computer scientists, Boston College and Tufts University have attracted students interested in business and engineering, and Northeastern University will host two students with a desire to pursue international relations. One inquisitive scholar is headed to Middlebury College in Vermont, while three adventuresome students will take the Big Apple by storm - two at New York University and one at the Pratt Institute. Yale University is the destination for a senior devoted to social justice and equality. Two students will attend Bucknell University in pastoral Pennsylvania, and a talented mathematician will make Carnegie Mellon University home.
The heart of our nation's capital will be brighter with one senior attending George Washington University. Bustling Richmond, Virginia attracted one student to Virginia Commonwealth University. Neighboring North Carolina was a draw for a budding business student to attend Wake Forest University, a lifelong learner will attend Elon University, and a classic liberal arts student is headed to Davidson College. Three students will attend Duke University to pursue diverse interests from engineering to environmental and wildlife conservation. Two students will be enjoying historic Charleston, South Carolina at the College of Charleston.
Another entrepreneurial student will study at Emory University, and Miami University attracted an international business devotee. One student heeded the siren call of New Orleans and will matriculate to Tulane University. A lone student will call Southern Methodist University home in the Lone Star State.
Across the middle of the country, two students will do the two-step in Nashville, Tennessee at popular Vanderbilt University. A talented cheerleader will attend the University of Kentucky, and an architect in the making will head to University of Kansas. A number of athletes will call Ohio home, attending Defiance College (football), Notre Dame College of Ohio (soccer and lacrosse), University of Toledo (basketball), and Wittenberg University (football). In addition, a talented photographer will see the state through the lens of University of Dayton, and two celebrated creative writers, including a National Student Poet, will write their next chapter at Oberlin College. A highly recruited basketball talent will attend the Division I Western Illinois University, and another football recruit is headed to Monmouth College. Lake Forest College, a short train ride from Chicago, is the destination for one senior. Two students will attend University of Michigan to study engineering and communications and marketing. Washington University in St. Louis is the destination for another senior.
Indiana University tops the in-state list of schools with 17 students studying a variety of subjects from pre-med to business at the Kelley School. Purdue is a close second with ten seniors, and two each will matriculate to University of Notre Dame and Ball State University. One student is studying at Butler University, one swimmer will represent the University of Indianapolis, and another football player will become a Valparaiso University Crusader.
Moving west, one student will pursue outdoor studies at University of Montana in Missoula. Four will call Colorado home, two each matriculating to the University of Colorado in Boulder and University of Denver. California dreaming is on the minds of seven students who will study from San Francisco in the north to San Diego in the south. A serious scientific researcher will continue studies at Stanford University, and another business-minded student will study in Northern California at Santa Clara University. The University of California system snagged three seniors; two will be in Los Angeles and the third in San Diego. Two students will support the Trojans at University of Southern California.
Finally, a new international school is added to the list. John Cabot University in Rome, Italy rounds out the global reach of this class.
Our hearty congratulations to the many accomplishments of the Class of 2017! Cheers to their continued success!