NORTH MANCHESTER,Indiana — The application for the 2017 Wabash County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship will be due to the Community Foundation by September 26, 2016. The 2017 recipient, which will be named in December 2016, will be Wabash County’s 36th Lilly Scholar.
Previous Lilly Endowment Community Scholars were announced in the spring of the applicant’s senior year of high school. This new timeline, which affects the program for all Indiana community foundations, comes as a result of a 2015 statewide evaluation of the program. The earlier selection date is designed to give the Lilly Scholars more time to make their college or university decision.
The Community Foundation of Wabash County will conduct an orientation with county high school seniors and their families in early August. Applications will become available at that time, which can be found online at www.cfwabash.org under the Scholarships tab.
Established in 1998 to draw more talented Indiana students to college, the Lilly Endowment aims to raise the level of educational attainment in the state and eliminate the barrier of financial need and college debt for recipients. Recipients receive a four-year, full tuition scholarship to the Indiana institution of higher learning of his or her choice.
Applicants are required to be a resident of Wabash County for the entirety of their junior and senior years of high school and also hold a grade point average equivalent to 8.0 or better on a 12.0 scale. Candidates are ranked by academic achievement, financial need, family history or lack of history in high education, initiative, work experience, leadership, and volunteerism.
Incoming Wabash County high school seniors who intend to apply for this prestigious scholarship are encouraged to have taken the SAT or ACT exam prior to their application.
This change only affects the Lilly Endowment Scholarship Application. The Common Application, which is used for all other donor-established scholarships through the Community Foundation, will still be due in March.
The Community Foundation of Wabash County is a nonprofit public charity established in 1954. It serves the citizens of Wabash County by implementing their charitable aspirations, making grants, investing and safeguarding charitable assets, providing information regarding charitable endeavors, convening citizens, and linking resources to address issues confronting our shared lives. Visit us at www.cfwabash.org and like us on Facebook.