NASA Dryden Employee Exchange Council Scholarship given to 2011 Desert High School graduate Published Aug. 10, 2011 By NASA Dryden Public Affairs EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- The NASA Dryden Employee Exchange Council has presented its 2011 Thomas W. Finch Memorial Scholarship Award to a 2011 graduate of Desert High School on base. Scholarship winner Emily Wright plans to study Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of California at Irvine this fall. She was a valedictorian of her high school class, having earned a 4.26 grade-point average and ranking fifth among the 106 graduates. During her high school career, she was heavily involved in numerous school, community and church activities, along with being a member of the Desert High band, track and field team and manager of its volleyball team. She was also profiled in the "Future Leaders" special section in the Antelope Valley Press during the past school year. The scholarship provides $2,000 per year for up to four years when a minimum GPA of 3.0 is achieved. Applicants for the annual scholarship are required to be high school seniors whose parents are among the Dryden civil service or contractor workforce. Wright is the daughter of Larry and Elizabeth Wright. Larry Wright is an employee of NASA Dryden contractor Science Applications International Corporation, assigned to the Research and Engineering Directorate. NASA Dryden Exchange Council scholarships are named for former employees of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, with honorees selected on a rotating basis. Scholarship funds are raised from various council activities, including proceeds from vending machine, Dryden Gift Shop and cafeteria sales. Fundraisers are planned from which all proceeds will go toward future scholarship awards.