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Each of the students will receive a stipend of $1,500 annually for up to four years as a part of the scholarship program.
Sixty-two Mississippi high school seniors who graduated in May were selected to receive the prestigious award.
More than 2,000 students applied for this year's scholarships, representing the state's four congressional districts.
Beckham and Wheeler were named the scholarship winners for the Second Congressional District.
Beckham, a 2006 graduate of Pillow Academy, was very excited to receive the scholarship. "I was very honored to receive such a prestigious award," she said.
Beckham's parents, Susan and Glenn, also were excited about their daughter's academic honors.
"Aubrey went through the process of applying for the award online. She was notified in July that she was one of the winners of the scholarship," said Mrs. Beck-ham.
Wheeler's parents, Drs. Valencia Martin and Harold Wheeler, said that words could not express how happy their son was to receive such honors.
Wheeler is a 2006 graduate of the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science in Columbus.
The award, which is named for the long-time West Virginia legislator, is designed to recognize and reward students who demonstrate outstanding academic achievement.
The national scholarship program is administered through the state Department of Education's Scholastic Development Office. It is open to all high school seniors in public, private and parochial schools, officials said.
In addition to their Byrd honors, Beckham and Wheeler received additional scholarships to cover the cost of their education.
Beckham, a freshman pre-med and biology major at the University of Mississippi, received the Patricia Thompson Lott Scholarship in the amount of $40,000 to be issued over a four-year period. The award is available to incoming freshmen from Mississippi with demonstrated leadership abilities.
"I felt so honored to be among those who were considered for the scholarship. There were many qualified applicants," said Beckham.
The scholarship was established last year to honor Patricia Lott, wife of U.S. Sen. Trent Lott.
This is the second year they have awarded the scholarship to an incoming freshman, said Beckham.
Wheeler, a freshman pre-med and bio-science major at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., was awarded the Chancellor's Scholar-ship in the amount of $150,000, said Dr. Martin.
In addition, Wheeler received a stipend in the amount of $5,000 to be used toward a summer study once he has completed his sophomore year.
The award is offered to a select group of students who show a strong commitment to diversity, leadership and citizenship.
It is one of the highest honors Vanderbilt bestows upon incoming students.
Leadership abilities were clearly demonstrated among the two students. Beckham was student council president of her senior class, and Wheeler was president of the student government association during his senior year.
"The key to my success in receiving such honors was maintaining my grade point average, keeping my priorities in line and setting aside time to study," said Beckham.
"Joshua was successful in going through the application process of applying to various schools," said Dr. Wheeler.
He even turned down admission to universities such as Princeton and Yale after receiving the scholarship to Vanderbilt, said Wheeler.
