Attention all incoming high school seniors in Noble County. The requirements and timeline for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship offered through NCCF have changed.

Please watch this video for information on the new adjustments.

On Monday, June 6 at 5 PM watch Channel 21/NBC 33 from Fort Wayne film clip of  “Life’s Better Here” in Noble County. Pictured is our Executive Director, Linda Speakman-Yerick being interviewed by Eric Olsen.

The Noble County Community Foundation Board of Directors recently awarded a total of $188,400 in scholarships during the 2015-2016 scholarship season to area high school and college students including college student Rachel Schermerhorn, of Ligonier, who received the Oliver and Eleanor Ellenbecker Previous Award Winner scholarship. This scholarship is awarded to students who previously received a one-year or two-year scholarship administered by the Noble County Community Foundation.  Schermerhorn is studying speech pathology at Ball State University.

Maggie Kitt of rural Albion received the Tony and Gertrude Kichler Scholarship.  This scholarship is awarded to a high school senior or college student who resides in Green or Noble Townships who is pursuing a college education in music, medicine or religion. Kitt also received the Oliver and Eleanor Ellenbecker Previous Award Winner scholarship.  Kitt is studying biochemistry at the University of Evansville.

Natalie Pine of Avilla received the Nathan Shumaker Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship is for a student from Noble County in the second or subsequent year of college (post high-school) education who received some or all of K-12 schooling through home school or a Christian School.  Shumaker of Kendallville was just 16 years old when he was killed in an automobile crash in 2005.  He was a sophomore at East Noble High school at the time of his death and was involved in the East Noble Car Team. Pine also received the Oliver and Eleanor Ellenbecker Previous Award Winner scholarship.  Pine is studying Social Work/English at Loyola University Chicago.

 

Emily Schneider of Kendallville received the Paul Pelikan Memorial Scholarship.  This scholarship is for an East Noble High School senior or graduate who has demonstrated great effort to achieve and overcome adversity with preference given to educationally challenged students.  Schneider is studying Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at Indiana Wesleyan University.

The Noble County Community Foundation, Inc. is home to a variety of scholarships for college, adult and high school seniors. The 2017 application for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship will be offered online in August 2016 for one well-rounded high school senior who resides in Noble County, that will receive a diploma from an accredited Indiana high school by the end of June 2017, and will pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an accredited public or private college or university in Indiana.  High school seniors should check back with the community foundation regarding specific criteria requirements. Deadline for this scholarship application will be at the end of August or beginning of September 2016 on the foundation’s website www.NobleCountyCF.org. All other scholarships offered through the community foundation will be available online at the foundation’s website www.NobleCountyCF.org in mid-November 2016.

Noble County Community Foundation Announces Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Recipient

    A Noble County student has been named recipient of four-year, full-tuition scholarship as the Noble County Community Foundation 2016 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars.

Lucas Graden of East Noble was selected to receive full tuition to the Indiana college of his choice and a $900 yearly stipend for required books and equipment.  Lucas is the son of Kelly and Bradley Graden of Kendallville.

Lucas plans to study Telecommunications/Film and Television/Digital Media Production at Butler University. Some of his activities in high school include Mayors Youth Advisory Council, National Honor Society, Basket Brigade, Trinity United Methodist Church, East Noble Theatre, Tennis, Show Choir and Archery as well as other activities.

Upon the surprise announcement Lucas stated, “Gee, I haven’t been called down to the Principal’s office since elementary school. This is unbelievable – high school is almost over and what a dream to actually achieve this.”

Parents Kelly and Bradley said, “We are very proud of Lucas and all of his achievements – we are truly blessed.”

To be eligible for the scholarship students must reside in Noble County and attend an accredited high school, and achieve a high school grade point average of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale.  Students need to be well-rounded seniors through their community service, volunteerism and extracurricular activities and work experience as well as leadership roles.

This year’s applicants were initially scored for performance, community service and volunteerism, extracurricular activities and work experience, as well as leadership roles.

This year’s 58 Lilly applicants also provided recommendation letters from three references and submitted three essays, which were evaluated by a community foundation committee of six Noble County citizens, who interviewed the top 10 finalists.  Those finalists not offered the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship will receive a $1,000 scholarship from the Noble County Community Foundation, Inc.

Names of the top candidate and two alternatives were then submitted for final selection approval to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI) for the selection of the 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.  There were 142 scholarships awarded statewide.