19 Students Earn Community Foundation Scholarships
Published: Friday, May 11, 2018
Nineteen students and their families will benefit from scholarships awarded April 28, by the Community Foundation of Elkhart County and Lilly Endowment Inc.
The 2018 Lilly Endowment Scholarship, Guy David Gundlach Memorial Scholarship and INSPIRE Scholarship will help students from public and private schools pursue goals and dreams at the college level.
The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship (LECS) is the result of a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative to help Hoosier students reach higher levels of education. The program, now in its 21st year, has awarded 82 LECS to students in Elkhart County, totaling more than $20 million in scholarships. Statewide over 4,300 have been awarded, providing nearly $375 million in scholarships across Indiana since the program began in 1998.
Through the Community Foundation, the LECS program, administered by Independent Colleges of Indiana, selects three Elkhart County, first-generation, college bound students each year. Scholarship recipients will receive a four-year, full-tuition scholarship toward a baccalaureate degree at any accredited college or university in Indiana. Recipients include: Steven Fields, Concord; Maria Leon Buitrago, Elkhart Central; and Isaiah Mumaw, Fairfield.
As a complement to the LECS program, the community foundation is honored to carry on the legacy of Guy David Gundlach by awarding six Elkhart County, first-generation, college bound students a four-year, $5,000 per year scholarship toward a bachelor's degree. Recipients include: Jason Barahona Rosales, Goshen; Julie Burkholder, Jimtown; Meagan Irons, Elkhart Memorial; Trenton Kercher, Elkhart Christian; Destiny Schrock, Clinton Christian; and Kami Schwartz, NorthWood.
The INSPIRE Scholarship is the community foundation's newest scholarship, beginning in 2017, and awards hard-working, community-minded students the opportunity to receive $3,000 per year. Multiple two- or four-year scholarships are being awarded each year. To be eligible to renew their scholarship, each of the recipients must complete a minimum of 30 hours of volunteer time per year in Elkhart County.
This year's two-year recipients: Violeta Campos, Concord; Joshua Cruz, Elkhart Memorial; Jennifer Esqueda-Tapia, Goshen; Gwendolyn Hardin, Elkhart Central; and Samuel Taylor, Elkhart Central.
This year's four-year recipients: Tyler Hahn, NorthWood; Jenna Jaskolka, Jimtown; Anna Smucker, Bethany Christian; Keith Wertman, Northridge.; and Grace Yoder, Fairfield.
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