Ten high school seniors selected as finalists for Monroe County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships

Ten high school seniors have been selected as finalists for the 2022 Monroe County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program. We hope you will join us in congratulating these phenomenal students:
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• Lucy Clarke, Bloomington High School North
• Ella Francis, Bloomington High School North
• Jetta Norris, Edgewood High School
• Sophia Ramlo, Bloomington High School South
• Mathilde Robinson, Bloomington High School South
• Faith Stimson, Bloomington High School North
• Eva Stuart, Bloomington High School South
• Jacob Waugh, Edgewood High School
• Katie Wilson, Edgewood High School
• Kaitlyn Wong, Bloomington High School North

Among their many accomplishments, this year’s Monroe County Lilly Scholarship finalists have been involved in 40 school organizations, displayed their talents in art, dance, music, theater, writing, speech, and debate, and excelled as athletes in baseball, figure skating, lacrosse, soccer, track, tennis, and volleyball.

Within this exceptional group are motivated young people who have studied abroad, launched their own businesses, established community organizations, and pursued internships in their future career paths. These student leaders have also demonstrated compassion and integrity as camp counselors, mentors, tutors, lifeguards, referees, childcare providers, and friends.

As engaged members of the community, they have also volunteered for 25 local organizations, including Area 10 Agency on Aging, Boys and Girls Clubs of Bloomington, City of Bloomington, Community Kitchen, Habitat for Humanity, Hoosier Hills Food Bank, Pantry 279, Women Writing for (a) Change, Wheeler Mission, WonderLab, and many others.

“We are proud to recognize this extraordinary group of young people doing amazing and innovative things in our community,” said Tina Peterson, Community Foundation’s president and CEO. “In a year that has been challenging for schools and teens, these students have forged new paths to continue growing, learning, and achieving. They represent the next generation of innovators, and we can’t wait to see what they will accomplish in the future.”

“While we always regret that only two of these amazing finalists will ultimately receive the Lilly Scholarship, each one inspires great confidence in this generation of young people,” added Peterson. “It would be our hope that many of our finalists will stay in Indiana for their postsecondary experiences and begin their careers in the Indiana Uplands region.”
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. In Monroe County, two students are awarded Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships each year.

Monroe County’s Lilly Scholarship Application Process

Monroe County’s finalists were selected from among 22 semifinalists and 93 applications submitted by students from five of the ten high schools that serve Monroe County. 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 2022 scholarship were blindly reviewed and independently scored by representatives from each high school to identify semifinalists. The number of semifinalists identified is reflective of each school’s senior class size. See complete list of semifinalists.

Each semifinalist was invited to submit a more comprehensive application, which included additional application questions and recommendations. The Community Foundation’s Scholarship Selection Committee then evaluated the completed semifinalist applications. This committee, made up 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.

The finalists will interview with the selection committee during the week of October 18, and their 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 2022 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars for Monroe County will be named in December 2021.

Since the Lilly Endowment Scholarship Program’s inception in 1998, over $424 million in scholarship tuition has been provided to students across the state. Administered statewide by Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. with local support from Indiana community foundations, 4,912 Indiana high school students have been awarded the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.

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].