Finalists selected for Lilly scholarship

Ariana Simpson

Heritage Fund – the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County has announced the top 10 finalists for the 2023 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.

The finalists are:

  • CSA New Tech: Briana Dwenger and Jaclyn Shaw
  • Columbus East High School: Hallie Randle and Ariana Simpson
  • Columbus North High School: Ty Ferguson, Paula Ramos Perez, Matina Maharjan, Ella Fisher, Jessica Meza Sanchez
  • Hauser High School: Gracie Greene

Two of these students will be chosen as the 2023 Lilly Scholars and will receive full tuition for four years of undergraduate study at the Indiana college or university of their choice. They will also receive a special allocation of up to $900 per year to help cover the cost of required books and equipment.

The finalists were selected from 48 eligible Bartholomew County high school applicants, Heritage Fund officials said. Application requirements for the scholarship included residence in Bartholomew County, being on course to graduate by the end of June 2023, and a minimum 3.5 GPA on a 4.0-point scale. Additionally, students were expected to demonstrate significant school involvement, community service, good character, leadership skills and financial need.

The 2023 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Bartholomew County is administered by the Heritage Fund and Independent Colleges of Indiana.

Lilly Endowment created the program in the 1997-98 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling more than $425 million. Nearly 5,000 Indiana students have received Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships since the program’s inception.

The primary purposes of the scholarship program are:

— to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana;

— to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities;

— to encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly 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.