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Foundation announces Lilly finalists
Lyons, White, Wilkerson, Teipen vying for prestigious scholarship
Four Putnam County high school seniors have been named as finalists for the Putnam County Community Foundation’s 2019 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar. This prestigious award goes to an 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 are Josie Lyons of North Putnam High School, daughter of Gregory and Brenda Lyons; Michael White of Greencastle High School, son of Richard and Sue White; Benjamin Wilkerson of Greencastle High School, son of Scott and Beth Wilkerson; and Abigail Teipen of South Putnam High School, daughter of Wayne and Amy Teipen.
These 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 residing in each of our four area school districts.
The process included a blind review for the first two phases, followed by a dinner in which the selection committee met with eight semifinalists. 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.
Announcement of the recipient will be made in mid-December.
The Community Foundation’s nomination for the award will be submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI) for approval of the recipient. ICI is a non-profit corporation that represents 30 regionally accredited degree-granting, non-profit, private colleges and universities in the state.
More than 4,600 Indiana high school students have been awarded a Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since the program was started by the Lilly Endowment in 1998.
The Putnam County Community Foundation is a nonprofit public charity established in 1985 to help donors establish endowments, award grants, and provide leadership, enriching the quality of life and strengthening community in Putnam County. The Community Foundation has been entrusted with more than 280 funds and endowments for donors, supporting a variety of charitable purposes. To learn how to start your own endowment, visit www.pcfoundation.org or contact the office at 653-4978.