The Putnam County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the finalists for the 2022 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. This year marks the 25th year of this program, funded by Lilly Endowment Inc. 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 winner of this prestigious award will be announced in mid-December.
The finalists are Catherine Hodge of South Putnam High School, daughter of Michael and Natalie Hodge, and a trio of Greencastle High School seniors; Benjamin Huff, son of Jason and Angela Huff; Maieasha Rashid, daughter of Mamunur Rashid and Naima Shifa; and Tyler Rodgers, son of Chad Rodgers and Camella Rodgers.
These seniors were selected as finalists following an extensive review process by the Lilly Selection Committee. The committee comprises eight voting members, two of whom reside in each of our four area school districts. The process included a blind review for the first two phases, followed by a dinner reception in which the selection committee met with eight 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 was recently submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI) for approval of the recipient. ICI is a nonprofit corporation representing 30 regionally accredited degree-granting, nonprofit, private colleges, and universities in the state. Nearly 5,000 Indiana high school students have been awarded a Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since the program was started by the Lilly Endowment in 1998.