NEWS BULLETIN
For Immediate Release
David Lasater
December 9, 2024
765-742-9078
The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette (CFGL) is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Tippecanoe County – Jada Dior of Jefferson High School, Braylyn Gudeman of Faith Christian High School, and Jesse Sierra of McCutcheon High School. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership.
“This year’s recipients exemplify not only impressive academic achievements, but also a great deal of maturity and vision for their future roles in our community. They are wonderful examples of what a ‘Lilly Scholar’ should be,” said David Lasater, the James Kirby Risk Endowed President and CEO of CFGL.
Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides for full tuition, required fees and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and required equipment for four years. The scholarship is for full-time undergraduate students leading to a baccalaureate degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars may also participate in the Lilly Scholars Network (LSN), which connects both current scholars and alumni with resources and opportunities to be active leaders on their campuses and in their communities. Both the scholarship program and LSN are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) and Indiana Humanities.
Former Lilly Endowment Community Scholar and current member of the scholarship committee, Cody Mullen said of the scholarship, “Being a Lilly Scholar was an honor back in high school…I am still learning what a gift it was – no debt, no student loans. It gave me greater flexibility in my career.”
In determining TippecanoeCounty’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholar nominees, consideration was given to academic rigor and achievement, extracurricular involvement, work experience, letters of recommendation, and interview performance by the LECSP Nominating Committee. After the field of applicants was narrowed down, nominees were submitted to ICI, the statewide administrator of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, which approves the final selection of scholarship recipients.
“Every year, I am amazed and impressed by the applicants for this scholarship. Every student has achieved success and done great things in our community, but a few rise above the rest,” said Gretchen Shelmon, Director of Marketing, Communications and Grants at The Foundation.
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.
The Community Foundation of Greater Lafayette, established in 1970, serves the Tippecanoe County area. Its mission is to inspire, nurture, and practice philanthropy, stewardship, and leadership in the communities served.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. Although the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana
Since 1997, Independent Colleges of Indiana has administered the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program statewide with funding provided by Lilly Endowment. Founded in 1948, ICI serves as the collective voice for the state’s 29 private, nonprofit colleges and universities. ICI institutions employ over 22,000 Hoosiers and generate a total local economic impact of over $5 billion annually. Students at ICI colleges have Indiana’s highest four-year, on-time graduation rates, and ICI institutions produce 30 percent of Indiana’s bachelor’s degrees while enrolling 20 percent of its undergraduates.
