Semifinalists Announced for Monroe County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships: Twenty-one high school seniors selected from six area schools as semifinalists for Monroe County’s two 2023 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships

​The Community Foundation of Bloomington and Monroe County (CFBMC) has announced that 21 high school seniors have been selected as semifinalists for the 2023 Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program. Congratulations to these exceptional students:

•       Brooke Bailey, Bloomington High School North
•       Felicia Bolander, Edgewood High School
•       Clara Crain, Edgewood High School
•       Yarra Ellett, Bloomington High School South
•       Madilyn Fisher, Bloomington High School North
•       Luke Fritz, Lighthouse Christian Academy
•       Advaith Iyengar, Bloomington High School North
•       Carina Jacobson, Bloomington High School South
•       Jake Keller, Bloomington High School South
•       Trinity Kissinger, Academy of Science and Entrepreneurship
•       Alice Lehr, Bloomington High School North
•       Grace McKay, Bloomington High School South
•       Ryan Mooney, Bloomington High School North
•       Connor Shin, Bloomington High School North
•       Nora Shipp, Seven Oaks Academy
•       Benjamin Smith, Bloomington High School South
•       Jack Steiner, Bloomington High School North
•       Hazel Stringer, Bloomington High School South
•       Nicky Walker, Bloomington High School South
•       Hayden Wilson, Edgewood High School
•       Audrey Wu, Bloomington High School South

​In Monroe County, two students are awarded Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships each year. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars 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.
 
Monroe County’s semifinalists were selected from among 84 applications submitted by students from six of the 11 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 for the 2023 scholarship were blindly reviewed and independently scored by representatives from each high school to identify semifinalists. The number of identified semifinalists reflects each school’s senior class size.
 
Each semifinalist has been invited to submit an updated application, which includes additional application questions and recommendations. The Community Foundation’s Scholarship Selection Committee will then evaluate the completed semifinalist applications. This committee, comprised of community members, blindly reviews and scores 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.
 
Finalists will be identified and interviewed in October, and finalist interview scores will be combined with scoring from the written application. The finalists’ rankings, along with the committee’s recommendations for scholarship nominees, will be submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. for final selection of scholarship recipients for Monroe County. The two 2023 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars for Monroe County will be named in December 2022.
 
“High school seniors in Monroe County have a wide array of choices ahead of them, and we are proud that each of this year’s 65 Lilly Scholarship applicants is interested in pursuing their post-secondary education at one of Indiana’s world-class higher education institutions,” said Community Foundation President and CEO Tina Peterson. “While only two Monroe County students will ultimately receive a Lilly Scholarship, we look forward to getting to know each of the semifinalists better and hope that all of our applicants will elect to not only stay in Indiana for post-secondary education but will also choose to make Indiana home after graduation.”
 
Lilly Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1998-1999 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling in excess of $439 million. Administered statewide by Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. with local support from Indiana community foundations, more than 5,000 Indiana high school students have been awarded the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since the program’s inception.
 
The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program 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.
 
For more information on the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program or other scholarships administered by CFBMC, visit https://www.cfbmc.org/lasting-impact/apply-for-a-scholarship/ or contact Marcus Whited, Program Director, at 812-333-9016 or [email protected].