Photo provided The Heritage Fund - Community Foundation of Bartholomew County Lilly Scholarship Committee members Robin Hilber, Erin Hawkins, Aida Ramirez, Jeanette Marsh, Carl Lienhoop, Scott Poling and Matt Kirr congratulate 2023 Lilly Scholars Hallie Randle and Ariana Simpson Wednesday at Columbus East High School.
Two Columbus East High School seniors are Bartholomew County’s 2023 Lilly Scholars.
Hallie Randle and Ariana Simpson are the two recipients for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Bartholomew County. The Heritage Fund – the Community Foundation of Bartholomew County announced the news Tuesday.
“A special thank you to (Principal) Mark Newell and East for helping us pull off our special surprise presentation this morning and to Lilly Endowment and Independent Colleges of Indiana for making such an incredible opportunity possible,” Heritage Fund officials shared in a social media post.
Randle and Simpson 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 two students were among 10 finalists for the scholarship, which 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 track 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. Finalists also had to be available for interviews with the selection committee.
Randle, daughter of Andrew and Suzanne Randle, has been active in Student Assembly, East soccer and track and field, Key Club, National Honor Society and St. Peter’s Church and Youth Group. She plans to major in speech language pathology.
Simpson, daughter of Martha Rosalba Dominguez Barradas, has been active in Show Choir and Multicultural and Theatre/Drama clubs. She plans to pursue a biology major.
The other eight finalists were:
- CSA New Tech: Briana Dwenger and Jaclyn Shaw
- Columbus North High School: Ty Ferguson, Paula Ramos Perez, Matina Maharjan, Ella Fisher, Jessica Meza Sanchez
- Hauser High School: Gracie Greene
The 2023 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Bartholomew County is administered by the Heritage Fund and Independent Colleges of Indiana.
Lilly Endowment created the scholarship program in the 1997-98 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling more than $425 million. As of July, nearly 5,000 Indiana students had 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.
To date, 55 Bartholomew County students have been named Lilly Endowment Community Scholars.
