Twenty-two high school seniors selected as semifinalists for Monroe County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships

The Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County (CFBMC) has announced that 22 high school seniors have been selected as semifinalists for the 2022 Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program. Congratulations to these exceptional students:

  • Paolo Ansaldo, Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship
  • Roudra Chatterjea, Bloomington High School North
  • Lucy Clarke, Bloomington High School North
  • Ella Francis, Bloomington High School North
  • Elijah Gill, Edgewood High School
  • Alexandra Gryszowka, Bloomington High School South
  • Layaan Hajiyev, Bloomington High School South
  • Ian Hamstra, Lighthouse Christian Academy
  • Alexandra King, Bloomington High School North
  • Chantelle Miller, Bloomington High School South
  • Jetta Norris, Edgewood High School
  • Sophia Ramlo, Bloomington High School South
  • Mathilde Robinson, Bloomington High School South
  • Isabel Schneider, Bloomington High School North
  • Faith Stimson, Bloomington High School North
  • Eva Stuart, Bloomington High School South
  • Anh Tran, Bloomington High School North
  • Isabella Vesperini, Bloomington High School South
  • Jacob Waugh, Edgewood High School
  • Zander West, Bloomington High School South
  • Katie Wilson, Edgewood High School
  • Kaitlyn Wong, Bloomington High School North

Lilly Endowment Community Scholars 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 Monroe County, two students are awarded Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships each year.

Monroe County’s semifinalists were selected from among 93 applications submitted by students from five of the ten high schools that serve Monroe County. Eligible schools include The Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship, Covenant Christian School, Bloomington Graduation School, Bloomington High School North, Bloomington High School South, Edgewood High School, Harmony School, Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics & Humanities, Lighthouse Christian Academy, and Seven Oaks Classical School.

Applications for the 2022 scholarship were blindly reviewed and independently scored by representatives from each high school to identify semifinalists. The number of semifinalists identified is reflective of each school’s senior class size.

Each semifinalist has been invited to submit an updated application, which includes additional application questions and recommendations. Applications for the finalist round are due September 23. The Community Foundation’s Scholarship Selection Committee will then evaluate the completed semifinalist applications. This committee, made up of community members and former Monroe County Lilly Scholars, blindly reviews and scores applications from the semifinalists to select ten finalists. 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.

Finalists will be identified and interviewed in October, and finalist interview scores will be combined with scoring from the written application. The finalists’ rankings, along with the committee’s recommendations for scholarship nominees, will be submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. for final selection of scholarship recipients for Monroe County. The two 2022 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars for Monroe County will be named in December 2021.

“This year’s semifinalists are an exceptional group of students and young leaders with a diversity of experiences, backgrounds, and aspirations,” said Community Foundation President and CEO Tina Peterson. “We look forward to getting to know them better and cannot understate what it means to our community, our region, and our state that these talented young people are interested in pursuing their post-secondary education at one of Indiana’s world-class colleges and universities.”

Since the Lilly Endowment Scholarship Program’s inception in 1998, over $424 million in scholarship tuition has been provided. Administered statewide by Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. with local support from Indiana community foundations, 4,912 Indiana high school students have been awarded the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.

The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program are 1) to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana; 2) to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities; and 3) to encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community Scholars to engage with each other and with Indiana business, governmental, educational, nonprofit and civic leaders to improve the quality of life in Indiana generally and in local communities throughout the state.

For more information on the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program or other scholarships administered by CFBMC, visit https://cfbmc.org/lasting-impact/apply-for-a-scholarship/ or contact Marcus Whited, Program Director at 812-333-9016 or [email protected].

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 more than $27 million since its incorporation in 1990. With a growing $44 million endowment, the Foundation makes a difference by connecting caring people, important causes, and community resources.