By Eve Baughman
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December 19, 2024
The Daviess County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Daviess County – Brynna Knepp, Barr-Reeve High School . Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership. “We were impressed with the caliber of applicants this year,” said Laura Hazelman, Regional Director of Community Engagement and Impact. “The Daviess County applicants have a strong dedication to their academics, educational goals, and a willingness to give back to their community.“ 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. “With so many worthy applicants, I am extremely grateful to have received this honor, said Brynna Knepp, 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar. “I plan to utilize this opportunity to obtain a law degree and use my career to help families in our community.” In determining Daviess County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholar nominees, consideration was given to academic performance, community service, and volunteer activities, personal statement of goals and essay; school activities, sports, and work experience; those advancing to phase two were scored on an in-person interview by the LECSP Nominating Committee and impromptu essay, designed to demonstrate the student’s verbal communication skills and overall civic pride and interest in the quality of their community. 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. Lilly Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1997-98 school year. Since then, grant funding in excess of $490 million has supported more than 5,300 Indiana students who have received scholarships through the program. 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.