Dominic D’Onofrio and Anson Reynolds awarded Monroe County’s 2024 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships

The Community Foundation of Bloomington & Monroe County is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships for Monroe County – Dominic D’Onofrio and Anson Reynolds.
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Including Monroe County’s two scholarship recipients, the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) will provide 147 scholarships statewide. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership.

LECSP scholarships may be used for otherwise unreimbursed full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year. The special allocation may cover the costs for required books and 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. The program is administered statewide by Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) and locally through the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County.

“Dominic and Anson are wonderful examples of the talented, engaged, and generous young people that call Monroe County and the Indiana Uplands region home,” said President and CEO Tina Peterson. “We are proud to recognize their accomplishments and look forward to following their academic journeys as they join an incredible network of Lilly Endowment Community Scholars.”

Domonic D’Onofrio is a Bloomington High School North (BHSN) senior and the son of Brian and Danica D’Onofrio. D’Onofrio is the president of the BHSN Habitat for Humanity Club and a member of the Cougar Community Kitchen Club, Student Athletic Board, National Honor Society, National Art Honor Society, Art Club, and Young Life. He also competes on the Varsity Cross Country and Track and Field teams.

Among his community service activities, D’Onofrio has prepared summer lunches for school-aged children with Monroe Community Kitchen and served as a youth mentor for St. Charles School middle school basketball players.

D’Onofrio hopes to study architecture in college. As part of his career exploration, D’Onofrio interned in 2022 with Monroe County Habitat for Humanity, where he researched accessory dwelling units and net-zero construction to help Habitat and future homeowners explore sustainable housing options.

“During my work with Habitat, my reason for being an architect shifted to focusing on social impact and serving the community,” said D’Onofrio. “I learned up close that being an architect means listening to and actively serving the needs of real people to create a more equitable, just, and accessible community.”

“I am extremely honored and grateful to be awarded this scholarship by the Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County and Lilly Endowment,” said D’Onofrio. “While I truly cannot express the whirlwind of emotions I have, I want to thank my supportive family, friends, teachers, coaches, and mentors who have been incredibly influential in my life. Becoming a Lilly Scholar has been an incredible experience that will change my life.”

Anson Reynolds is a Bloomington High School South (BHSS) senior and the daughter of Josh and Laura Reynolds. Reynolds is president of DECA, the Bring Your Own Book Club, and the Write On! Creative Writing Club. She is also a member of the Student Council, Academic Super Bowl, Indiana Mathematics League, BHSS Varsity Volleyball Team, and Bloomington Volleyball Club.

Among her community service activities, Reynolds has served on the Monroe County Juvenile Probation Youth and Family Work Group and has tutored with the Monroe County Public Library VITAL program.

In 2021, Reynolds co-founded Boost Volleyball Camps, which provides multi-day skills and training for middle school girls. “For the past three summers, I have helped middle schoolers enhance their volleyball and life skills,” said Reynolds. “With college on the horizon, there is even more responsibility and wisdom to acquire. I am grateful for the experience of running Boost Volleyball because it has allowed me a glimpse of my potential to impact others. My journey as a role model is only beginning.”

“I’m so grateful to the Community Foundation and the Lilly Endowment for this incredible opportunity,” said Reynolds. “I hope to use my time in college to pursue my dream of making education accessible to all so I can give others moments like this.”

The Community Foundation has also announced that Monroe County’s eight other 2024 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship finalists will each receive $1,000 scholarships to use at a college or university of their choosing:
·      Kyle Davis, Bloomington High School South
·      William Foley, Bloomington High School North
·      Teagan Hanna, Bloomington High School North
·      Ingrid Pendergast, Bloomington High School North
·      Dylan Stringer, Bloomington High School South
·      Lucy Tait, Bloomington High School South
·      Joshua Tait, Bloomington High School South
·      Layla Vamos, Bloomington High School North

“This year’s finalists have demonstrated excellence in academics, leadership, and service to our community,” added Peterson. “We are proud to award each of them a Community Foundation scholarship to support their continued academic endeavors. After completing their post-secondary educations, we hope they seek out one of the many amazing job opportunities available in the Indiana Uplands to begin their careers.”

Chair of Monroe County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Committee, Jessika Hane, added her admiration for this year’s finalists. “The scholarship selection process is never easy, but these high school seniors inspire us. They represent so much hope for our community, and we are confident that the future is bright for Monroe County, our region, and the state of Indiana.”
 
Monroe County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Application Process
Monroe County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipients were selected from among 143 applications submitted by students from seven of the ten high schools that serve Monroe County students. Eligible schools include The Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship, Covenant Christian School, Bloomington Graduation School, Bloomington High School North, Bloomington High School South, Edgewood High School, Harmony School, Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics & Humanities, Lighthouse Christian Academy, and Seven Oaks Classical School.

Applications were blindly reviewed and independently scored by members of a Lilly Scholarship committee at each Monroe County high school to identify 21 semifinalists. The number of semifinalists identified is determined by each school’s senior class size.

Each semifinalist was invited to submit an updated application, which included additional content and references from schools and other community members. The Community Foundation Scholarship Selection Committee then evaluated the semifinalist applications. This committee, comprised of community members and a former Monroe County Lilly Scholar, blindly reviewed and scored applications from the semifinalists to select ten finalists. In selecting 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.

Each finalist was interviewed in October, and their interview scores were combined with scoring from the written applications. The finalists’ rankings, along with the committee’s recommendations for scholarship nominees, were then submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. for final selection of scholarship recipients for Monroe County.

Lilly Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1998-99 school year and has supported the program every year since with grants totaling in excess of $505 million. More than 5,200 Indiana students have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since the program’s inception.

The primary purposes of LECSP are: 1) to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana; 2) to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities; and 3) to encourage and support the efforts of current and past Lilly Endowment Community 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.