TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Two students from Vigo County and one each from Clay and Sullivan counties will receive four-year, full-tuition scholarships to an accredited public or private nonprofit college or university in Indiana of their choice as the 2021 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars for their respective counties.
In addition to full tuition, each scholar will receive an annual stipend of up to $900 for required books and equipment.
Funded by Lilly Endowment Inc., this scholarship program is administered locally by the Wabash Valley Community Foundation and its affiliates, the Clay County Community Foundation and the Sullivan County Community Foundation.
Vigo County Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are North Vigo senior Amara Duncan and West Vigo senior Dylan Lemon of West Terre Haute.
Sullivan High School senior Jade Karas is the Sullivan County Lilly Scholar.
Hunter Strain represents Clay City High School as the 2020 Clay County Lilly Endowment Community Scholar.
The Community Foundation received 208 applications from students in the three-county area. Each county had its own selection committee comprised of citizens from throughout the county. The selection process was “blind” in that all identifying material was concealed prior to application review by the committees to make this as fair a process as possible.
The scholarship seeks to select well-rounded individuals and does not lean solely on academic achievement. Selection criteria is weighted as follows: 20% financial need; 20% academic achievement; 50% activities outside the academic setting, such as extracurricular activities, service to the greater community and/or part-time employment; and a final 10% for extenuating circumstances, such as a significant trauma or hardship endured by the student and/or student’s immediate family, or for an extraordinary accomplishment achieved by the student.
