Ten high school seniors have been selected as finalists for Monroe County’s 2019 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. The 2019 finalists will be honored at the Community Foundation’s Annual Report to the Community on Thursday, November 1.
Monroe County’s 2019 Lilly Scholarship finalists include:
- Jerrett Alexander, Bloomington High School North
- Caroline Cherry, Bloomington High School North
- Christian Gettelfinger, Bloomington High School North
- Hope Gummere, Bloomington High School South
- Nidhi Krishnan, Bloomington High School South
- Jordan Monson, Bloomington High School South
- Calvin Prenkert, Bloomington High School South
- Jonathan Rickert, Bloomington High School North
- Noelle Simoneaux, Edgewood High School
- Wilson Zinkan, Bloomington High School South
This year’s ten finalists were selected from among 69 total Monroe County applicants. Applications for the 2019 scholarship were blindly reviewed and independently scored by members of a scholarship committee at each Monroe County high school to identify semifinalists. Semifinalists were selected from each Monroe County high school that had applicants. The number of semifinalists selected is reflective of the relative size of each Monroe County high school’s senior class. This year’s 22 semifinalists included eight seniors from Bloomington High School South, seven from Bloomington High School North, four from Edgewood High School, and one each from the Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship, Lighthouse Christian Academy, and the Indiana Academy. See complete list of semifinalists.
The Community Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee, which is made up of members of the community and former Monroe County Lilly Scholars, blindly reviewed and scored the semifinalists’ applications to select the ten finalists.
“If it takes a village to raise a child, our community should be very proud,” said President and CEO Tina Peterson. “The exceptionally talented semifinalists and finalists for this year’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship represent the potential we hope is realized for all students. As scholars, they have achieved; as individuals, they have inspired; and as community members, they have given back. We look forward to recognizing these exceptional young people at our Annual Report to the Community on November 1st.”
Next, the finalists will be interviewed, and their interview scores will be combined with scoring from the written application. The finalist’s rankings, along with the committee’s recommendations for scholarship recipients, will be submitted to the statewide scholarship administrator Independent Colleges of Indiana for final selection of Monroe County’s two 2019 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars who will be named in December 2018.
Lilly Endowment Community Scholars across the state are awarded four-year, full tuition scholarships to pursue baccalaureate degrees at colleges or universities in Indiana. The scholarship also includes up to $900 annually for required textbooks and equipment. In selecting the recipients for the Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, consideration is given to student activities and achievements, community and civic service, academic performance, and leadership potential.
Since 1998, the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program has assisted more than 4,400 Indiana high school graduates statewide with more than $372 million in tuition to pursue baccalaureate degrees at Indiana colleges and universities. The program is administered by Independent Colleges of Indiana and community foundations in each of Indiana’s 92 counties.
The Community Foundation’s 2018 Annual Report to the Community begins at 4:30 p.m. on November 1 in Shreve Hall at Ivy Tech Bloomington (200 Daniels Way, Bloomington, IN 47404). This annual event is a celebration the Foundation’s past year of connecting caring people, important causes, and community resources.
About Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County:
Created by individuals, families, and businesses who share a passion for Monroe County and a vision for its future, the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County has granted $27 million to more than 400 local nonprofit organizations since its incorporation in 1990. With a growing $33 million endowment, the Foundation makes a difference by connecting caring people, important causes, and community resources.