Two local high school seniors – Edgewood’s Miranda Arthur and Audrey Ernst – have been named recipients of four-year full-tuition scholarships as the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County’s 2009 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars.

Arthur and Ernst will receive full tuition to the accredited Indiana college of their choice and an $800 yearly stipend for required books and equipment.

“This was a very unique year in several ways” said Renee Chambers, Program Director at the Community Foundation.  “In years past, several applicants have risen to the top with scores well above the others, and you knew without a doubt that you had chosen well.  This year there were less than 45 points difference (out of 2000 possible points) in the top 5 applicants; a really tight field.  This turned out to be a really good thing since we had 3 applicants decline the scholarship; we were still very confident in our choice.  As it turns out, the two recipients have been best friends since kindergarten and are very excited to be sharing this experience as well.” 

Miranda Arthur has been active in academics and a variety of extra curricular activities. A 4.0 student at Edgewood High School, Miranda participated in the Professional Career Internship Program where she completed an internship at CVS Pharmacy and is currently interning at Bloomington Hospital Pharmacy.  She will attend Butler University in the fall where she will pursue her Doctorate of Pharmacy degree.  Miranda also participated in the Best Buddies Program as a Peer Buddy, was Treasurer of the National Honor Society, Editor-in-Chief of the El Corral Yearbook staff, a 4 year Student Council member, a 4 year Edgewood Leadership Academy participant, member of the Edgewood Spanish Club, head of the 2008 Prom Committee, participated as a biology tutor with the Edgewood Tutoring Program, and was a Mustang Mentor.  She was a member of the Volleyball team from 2005-2007 and served as Junior Varsity Captain in 2007.  Miranda is also a 5 time winner of the Superintendent’s Award, 2003-2007.

Miranda participated in activities outside of school as well.  She is a 10 year member of 4-H where she served as 2008 Monroe County Fair Queen 1^st runner up; a 12 year member of the National Title winning Rise and Shine Cloggers, performing at places such as Grand Ole Opry, Walt Disney World and Carnival Cruise Lines.    She also volunteered at Bloomington Hospital and was a Book Reader with the IU Reading Program helping students to improve reading comprehension, speed and accuracy.  Miranda is currently working at CVS as a Pharmacy Technician.

"Receiving the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship is both an honor and a blessing” Arthur said.  I'm grateful for my parents, friends, and teachers who have been crucial parts of my life and have had a huge impact on making me into who I am today.  It kind of feels like hitting the lottery! Each winner is going to be able to focus on studying for school rather than paying for it. The scholarship has made it possible for me to attend Butler and pursue a career in pharmacy- a dream I would have never been able to chase if it were not for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship."

 Audrey M. Ernst will be attending University of Indianapolis in the fall majoring in Biology; Audrey is interested in becoming a Physical Therapist.  A 4.0 student at Edgewood High School, Audrey is a very well-rounded student participating in school activities, church activities, sports, the arts, volunteering and work.

Audrey is a member of National Honor Society, Leadership Academy, Key Club, Spanish Club and the Math team.  She is also a Mustang Mentor and a member of the Edgewood Music Warehouse.  Audrey is captain of both softball and volleyball and has won the Mustang Leadership Award in both sports. 

Outside of school, Audrey is a member of St. John the Apostle Church where she volunteers.  She also volunteers with the American Cancer Society and is the Youth Pitching Coach with the Edgewood Blaze Softball team and still manages to find time to work at Jiffy Treet. 

“I feel truly blessed to have received the Lilly Endowment Community Foundation Scholarship” said Audrey.  “My selection as a scholarship recipient has significantly impacted my college choice. I would like to extend my gratitude to the selection committee for their confidence in my ability to represent our community.  I embark on my college and career journey with the belief that this scholarship has opened the door to endless opportunities.”

Three students were offered the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship and declined to accept other scholarship opportunities allowing another full-ride opportunity for a deserving Monroe County student.  Bloomington South’s Hayley Schilling declined to accept a scholarship opportunity at Northwestern University.  Bloomington North’s Una Nattermann declined to accept a scholarship opportunity at Vanderbilt University.  And, Bloomington North’s Aida Haddad declined to accept a scholarship opportunity at Indiana University. 

With the addition of Arthur and Ernst, 44 students have been awarded Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships in Monroe County since the Community Foundation began participating in the program in 1998.

This year, 31 students applied to their accredited high schools in Monroe County for Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships in November. Each school is responsible for evaluating their applicants and then submitting one application for every 100 graduating seniors to the Community Foundation. Each applicant must be a U.S. citizen and a legal resident of Monroe County, have attended a qualifying school for the full four years and graduate by June 2009. The applicant must have a 3.5 GPA or above and plan to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an Indiana college or university beginning in the fall of 2009. The applicants are evaluated using weighted criteria including: community service/work experience, academic performance, honors and awards, essay, personal references and school activities. 

Once the finalists were chosen, the Community Foundation’s Scholarship Review Committee evaluated the applications in a blind process. Each finalist participated in an interview where they were all asked the same questions. Applications and answers to interview questions were evaluated using the same weighted criteria. The top three scores - the top two as nominees and the third as the alternate - were submitted to the Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) for the final selection of the recipients.

ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 31 regionally accredited degree granting, non-profit, private colleges and universities in the state.

The scholarships are the result of a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative to help Hoosier students reach higher levels of education. Indiana ranks among the lowest states in the percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree. There were 216 scholarships awarded statewide.