COLUMBUS, Ind. — Heritage Fund – The Community Foundation of Bartholomew County, has announced that Columbus East High School seniors Nadia Harris and Sivangi Patel are recipients of the 2024 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Bartholomew County.
Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character and leadership. Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides for full tuition, required fees and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and required equipment for four years of undergraduate study on a full-time basis leading to a baccalaureate degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university.
Lilly Endowment Community Scholars may also participate in the Lilly Scholars Network (LSN), which connects scholars with resources and opportunities to be active leaders on their campuses and in their communities.
Both the scholarship program and LSN are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) and Indiana Humanities, respectively.
“Nadia and Sivangi represent the best of Columbus — they are both academically exceptional, highly involved at school in extracurriculars and sports — but also highly engaged in the community and eager to give back. I applaud them for their accomplishments thus far and wish them nothing but the best in reaching their aspirations,” said Aida Ramirez, HFBC board member and scholarship selection chair.
Harris, daughter of Emily Harris, has been active in Key Club, Women’s Varsity
Soccer, Student Assembly, Best Buddies, Student Government and National
Honor Society. She plans to major in biology.
Patel, daughter of Nainesh and Avantika Patel, has been active in National Honor
Society, Women’s Tennis, Youth Leadership Bartholomew County, Key Club and
Health Occupation Students of America. She plans to pursue a nursing major.
Heritage Fund received 50 applications for this year’s scholarships, from
which 10 finalists were selected. Scholarship applicants were evaluated by the
selection committee on academic performance; scholastic and community
involvement; employment; leadership; financial need; responses to short
answer questions and a 450-word essay; two recommendations; and finalist
interviews.
Scholarship nominees were then submitted to the statewide
administrator of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, ICI,
for nomination approval.
Finalists are:
from Columbus East High School: J.R. Hughes, Henry Ulrich and Monica Santana.
From Columbus North High School: Seth Poindexter.
From CSA-New Tech: Janelly Villalobos.
From Hauser Jr-Sr High School: Colin Kistler, Isabella Kilps and Grace Hattabaugh.
To date, 55 Bartholomew County students have been named Lilly Endowment
Community Scholars.
