WHEELING, WV, April 20, 2012 -- Wheeling Jesuit University has announced the 2012 recipients of the Stephen J. Laut, S.J. Memorial Scholarship.

The four-year, full-tuition scholarships were awarded to high school seniors Anh-Dao Le of St. Clairsville, Ohio, and Elizabeth Sacco of Bentleyville, Pa.

Le and Sacco competed for the prestigious award in January, going up against a field of 18 other students from throughout the country.

"We congratulate the 2012 Laut Scholarship honorees. Their success inside and outside the classroom is representative of this distinction. I am confident they will honor the vision of our founding Jesuit fathers," said Larry Vallar, vice president of enrollment management. (Le is shown at right)

Le, 18, is a senior at St. Johns Central Catholic High School in Bellaire, Ohio. The daughter of Dr. Dung Le and Deborah Zammit, she is vice president of student council and a cheerleader. Le will major in accounting and biology at Wheeling Jesuit.

"I really enjoyed the Laut competition and the experience of getting to know everyone involved," said Le.

Sacco, 18, attends Bentworth High School in Bentleyville, Pa. Active in many school clubs, Sacco also is a musician, playing in both the marching and concert bands. She recently directed the school play. The daughter of Frank and Kim Sacco, she has selected psychology as her major. (Sacco is shown below.)

"I feel so honored to be able to go to Wheeling Jesuit, and I'm very thankful for the Laut program. I can't wait to start in the psychology department at WJU," Sacco added.

The Laut Scholarship competition consisted of two parts. The first part was an essay that was completed prior to the day of competition. The second part took place when the visiting seniors participated in group-interviews conducted by Wheeling Jesuit faculty and students, along with another written exercise.

Named after the Rev. Stephen Laut, S.J., this scholarship honors one of the founding Jesuits who began his career at WJU as an English professor. In 1968, he became chair of the English department and in 1979 was the recipient of the prestigious WJU Lewis Award. A strong believer in promoting academic excellence achieved through a rigorous Jesuit education, Laut fostered intellectual growth by challenging his students to excel in the classroom and in the real world.

For complete information on Wheeling Jesuit scholarship programs or admissions events, please contact the admissions office at 1-800-624-6992, extension 2359. Or explore Wheeling Jesuit online at wju.edu.