Ten high school seniors have been selected as finalists for Monroe County’s 2020 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. The 2020 finalists will be honored at the Community Foundation’s Annual Report to the Community on Tuesday, November 5.
Monroe County’s 2020 Lilly Scholarship finalists include:
- Hadley Abram, Bloomington High School North
- Marielle Berin, Bloomington High School North
- Joy Sera Bhattacharya, Bloomington High School North
- Ava Crees, Bloomington High School South
- Lexie Floyd, Bloomington High School North
- Erica Goldsworthy, Bloomington High School North
- Nicholas Graef, Edgewood High School
- Joelle Jackson, Bloomington High School North
- Mairéad Kennedy, Bloomington High School South
- Sekou Noble-Kuchera, Bloomington High School North
“Every year, we are inspired by the applicants for Monroe County’s Lilly Scholarship, said Tina Peterson, the Community Foundation’s president and CEO. “This year is no exception. As scholars, they have achieved; as individuals, they have inspired; and as community members, they have given back. We look forward to recognizing these exceptional finalists at our Annual Report to the Community on November 5, and we hope you will join us.”
This year’s ten finalists were selected from among 87 total Monroe County applications submitted by students from Monroe County high schools.
Applications for the 2020 scholarship were blindly reviewed and independently scored by members of a scholarship committee at each Monroe County high school to identify semifinalists. This year’s 20 semifinalists included eight seniors from Bloomington High School South, seven from Bloomington High School North, four from Edgewood High School, and one from Lighthouse Christian Academy. See complete list of semifinalists.
The Community Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee, which is made up of members of the community and former Monroe County Lilly Scholars, blindly reviewed and scored the semifinalists’ applications to select the ten finalists.
Next, the finalists will be interviewed, and their interview scores will be combined with scoring from the written application. The finalist’s rankings, along with the committee’s recommendations for scholarship recipients, will be submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. Independent Colleges of Indiana will affirm the scholarship recipients for Monroe County. Monroe County’s two 2020 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars will be named in December.
Lilly Endowment Community Scholars across the state are awarded four-year, full tuition scholarships to pursue baccalaureate degrees at colleges or universities in Indiana. The scholarship also includes up to $900 annually for required textbooks and equipment. In selecting the recipients for the Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, consideration is given to student activities and achievements, community and civic service, academic performance, and leadership potential.
Since 1998, the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program has assisted more than 4,626 Indiana high school graduates statewide with more than $392 million in tuition to pursue baccalaureate degrees at Indiana colleges and universities. The program is administered by Independent Colleges of Indiana and community foundations in each of Indiana’s 92 counties.
The Community Foundation’s Annual Report to the Community begins at 4:30 p.m. on November 5 in Shreve Hall at Ivy Tech Bloomington (200 Daniels Way, Bloomington, IN 47404). This annual event is a celebration of the Foundation’s past year of connecting caring people, important causes, and community resources.
About Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County:
Created by individuals, families, and businesses who share a passion for Monroe County and a vision for its future, the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County has granted $27 million to more than 400 local nonprofit organizations since its incorporation in 1990. With a growing $32 million endowment, the Foundation makes a difference by connecting caring people, important causes, and community resources.