2015 Lilly Scholarship finalists announced by Community Foundation

Four Putnam County high school seniors have been named as finalists for the Putnam County Community Foundation's 2015 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar.

This prestigious award goes to the most outstanding graduating high school senior in Putnam County. The Lilly Endowment Community Scholar will be awarded a full-tuition scholarship, including a $900 book stipend per year for four years to any accredited school in Indiana.

The finalists have an average GPA of 4.27 and SAT score of 1965.

The finalists are:

-- Allacyn Arnold of South Putnam High School, daughter of Andrew and Nancy Arnold.

-- Kayla Clodfelter of North Putnam High School, daughter of Chet and Leslie Clodfelter.

-- Cora Neudeck of South Putnam High School, daughter of Robin and Regina Neudeck.

-- Taylor Secrest of Greencastle High School, son of Bradford and Marjorie Secrest.

The four seniors were selected as finalists following an extensive review process by the Lilly Selection Committee from the Putnam County Community Foundation. The committee is made up of eight voting members, two who reside in each of our four area school districts.

The process included a blind review for the first three phases, a dinner in which the selection committee met with seven semi-finalists. It concluded with an individual interview with each of the four finalists. The review process is based on scholastic abilities and intellectual pursuits, capacity to lead and motivate fellow students, social commitment and extracurricular involvement, and the ability to articulate career plans that demonstrate motivation and initiative.

The Community Foundation's nomination for the award has been submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana Inc. (ICI) for the selection of the recipient. ICI is a non-profit corporation that represents 31 regionally accredited degree-granting, non-profit, private colleges and universities in the state.

During the first 17 years of the LECS program more than 3,700 students in Indiana high schools have received Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships.