Madison County Community Foundation

Samuel Foust, a senior at Lapel Community High School and Kaedra Hall of Highland High School will each receive full tuition to the Indiana college of their choice and an $800 annual stipend for required books and equipment.

Hall and Foust competed with more than three dozen highly qualified applicants for the two prestigious awards. Applicants for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship were judged on academic performance, demonstrated leadership, community service, a written essay, and financial need.  Final recipients are expected to be in the top one-third of their graduating high school class and to have achieved an SAT score of 1100 or above or an ACT Score of 24 or above.

Four other students who competed were awarded $1,000 each as finalists. Madison County Community Foundation and South Madison Community Foundation will each contribute $500 for 2009-10 college tuition assistance to Leslie Hersberger (Pendleton Heights High School), Jesse Pruitt (Frankton High School), Danielle Lutton (Pendleton Heights High School) and Grace Sharritt (Pendleton Heights High School).

After the Community Foundations' scholarship nominating committee narrowed the field, those candidates were submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. for the official selection of recipients. ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 31 regionally accredited degree granting, nonprofit, private colleges and universities in the state.

The scholarships are the result of a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative to help Hoosier students reach higher levels of education.  Indiana ranks among the lowest states in the percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a bachelor's degree.  This year, there were 216 scholarships awarded statewide.