Ten Monroe County high school seniors have been selected as finalists for the 2018 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. The 2018 finalists will be honored at the Community Foundation’s Annual Report to the Community on Thursday, November 2.
Monroe County’s 2018 Lilly Scholarship finalists include:
- Zoe Berensztein, Bloomington High School South
- Caleb Cooper, Lighthouse Christian Academy
- Mikayla Deckard, Edgewood High School
- Hadley Knaus, Bloomington High School South
- Zachary Kovach, Edgewood High School
- Aaron Nunes, Bloomington High School South
- Ryan Paquette, Bloomington High School North
- Mac Rogers, Bloomington High School North
- Sage Sherfick, Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship
- Greta Stephenson, Bloomington High School North
This year’s ten finalists were selected from among 68 applicants. In selecting 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.
“Every year, we are inspired by the quality of applicants for Lilly Endowment Community Scholars program,” said Community Foundation President and CEO Tina Peterson. “Monroe County has no shortage of exceptionally talented young people, and these 2018 finalists excel as leaders in their schools and in our community. We look forward to recognizing each of them at our Annual Report to the Community on November 2.”
Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are awarded four-year, full-tuition scholarships to pursue baccalaureate degrees at accredited public or private nonprofit colleges or universities in Indiana. Monroe County’s two 2018 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipients will be announced in December.
Evaluation of Monroe County’s Lilly Scholarship applications is a two-part blind review process. Applications are first reviewed and independently scored by members of a Lilly Scholarship committee at each Monroe County high school. The scored applications are then submitted to the Community Foundation, and finalists are identified from each school. The Community Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee, which is made up of members of the community and former Monroe County Lilly Scholars, blindly reviews and scores applications from the finalists. Each finalist is interviewed, and their interview scores are combined with scoring from the written portion of their application. The rankings, along with the committee’s recommendations are then submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc., a nonprofit corporation representing 30 regionally accredited degree-granting colleges and universities in the state.
Since 1998, the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program has assisted more than 4,500 Indiana high school graduates with more than $372 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 2 in Shreve Hall at Ivy Tech Bloomington (200 Daniels Way, Bloomington, IN 47404). This annual event is a celebration the Foundation’s past year of connecting caring people, important causes, and community resources. For more information on the Lilly Scholarship and the Community Foundation’s Annual Report to the Community event, visit www.cfbmc.org.
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 $25 million to more than 400 local nonprofit organizations since its incorporation in 1990. With a growing $30 million endowment, the Foundation makes a difference by connecting caring people, important causes, and community resources.