LaGrange County Community Foundation is accepting applications to the Community Scholarship Program through February 15, 2024.

The Community Scholarship Program provides 47 unique scholarship opportunities for graduating high school seniors who are planning to pursue full-time education at a college, university, technical or trade school.

Scholarship opportunities vary according to residency, career fields, current high school attendance, anticipated college enrollment, extracurricular involvement, and academic performance. Students complete a common application and are matched to scholarship opportunities. Scholarship awards range from $500 to $10,000 and may be used for educational expenses.

The Community Foundation partners with families, businesses, and organizations who want to help LaGrange County students succeed in obtaining higher education. New this year are two scholarship opportunities for students pursuing degrees in the field of education.

The Rex Fisher History Scholarship supports a student planning to teach history. A lifelong historian, researcher and student, Rex Fisher was born in LaGrange, and lived in Wisconsin, and Alaska throughout his life. He left LaGrange to attend Ball State and earn a degree in education in 1954. It was there he discovered his love of history and historical research.

Fisher next traveled to the University of Wisconsin and completed his graduate degree. After that, he moved to Alaska to teach U.S. history to high school students and do academic research.

The Rex Fisher History Scholarship supports a LaGrange County high school senior pursuing a degree in education with an emphasis on teaching history. The scholarship is $10,000 per year, renewable up to 3 years with a maximum award of $40,000.

The Jean Seagly Crouse Memorial Scholarship supports a LaGrange County student planning to pursue a degree in education. The scholarship is a one-time award in the amount of $1,000, awarded annually.

Crouse grew up in Topeka, graduating from Topeka High School as valedictorian of the class of 1944. She attended the University of Michigan for two years before getting married in 1946. After raising four children, Crouse completed her education degree at Goshen College in 1963. She was hired by Westview School Corp. and taught fifth grade at Topeka Elementary for 25 years, retiring in 1988. The Jean Seagly Crouse Memorial Scholarship is a $1,000 scholarship one-time award in the amount of $1,000.  

“We are thrilled to offer these new scholarship opportunities in the field of education,” said LaGrange County Community Foundation Executive Director Octavia Yoder. “They provide options for students in our county to make college more affordable and encourages more students to pursue a path in education.”

Students can apply for the Community Scholarships at LCCF.net/AvailableScholarships. The deadline to apply is February 15, 2024, at 4 p.m.

Arianna Smith received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship in the winter of 2017, during her senior year at Lakeland High School. She recently shared with us some of her experience in applying and what she has been able to accomplish since receiving the Lilly Scholarship.

What did you study in college?

I majored in Computer Science and minored in Law & Society at Purdue University.

How did the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship change your life?

It’s had an unbelievable impact. It gave me the opportunity to attend an amazing college program that I wouldn’t have been able to afford otherwise. During my time in college, I made great friends & connections and I had really meaningful personal & professional experiences. I learned so much and I wouldn’t have been able to without the support of the scholarship.

Where did you attend college? What were some highlights from your college experience?

I attended Purdue University in West Lafayette. Some highlights include yearly Friendsgiving (at the dining court or friend’s apartments); taking dance and art classes for fun; mentoring and teaching other students as a lecturer and Teaching Assistant; and meeting people from all kinds of backgrounds.

What are you doing today?

I graduated with my Bachelor’s in Computer Science in fall 2022. I now live in Seattle, Washington, where I’m a software engineer at Microsoft. I’m about to have my one-year anniversary at work, and I love my job!

What would you like to tell students who are considering applying for the LECS?

If you’re thinking of it, do it! LECS is an amazing opportunity to grow and experience new things. You can accomplish more than you can imagine with it. LECS also provides you with a community of people that you can look to for support, so if you ever feel unsure, you’ll have that network to lean on.

When completing the application, what tips would you give to students?

Really think about what you are passionate about and why, and try to communicate that at every stage of the application. Ask your friends, family, teachers, etc. for advice about your application at every stage. It can be intimidating to share with others, but it will be worth it in the end.

How engaged are you in your community today? What do you find important in life?

I’m engaged with my community in Washington through volunteering and mentoring, and I think about my community back home all the time. The support that I received (financial, emotional, mental – all of it!) has allowed me to feel confident in setting and pursuing my goals. I’m incredibly grateful for all of the people in my life who have known and encouraged me, and I feel stronger and more sure of myself when I remember that they believe in me. That community support and encouragement is what I find most important in life, and it’s something that I want to be able to provide to others as well.

Receiving the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship can open doors for students. It’s exciting to see what recipients like Arianna are able to accomplish with the help of the Lilly Scholarship.

Students graduating from a LaGrange County high school with a minimum GPA of 3.75, and plans of attending an Indiana accredited college or university in the fall 2024, are eligible to apply for the Lilly Scholarship.

Specific information about the application requirements are available at Lccf.net/LillyScholarship. Applications are due September 8, 2023.

Kamryn Miller of Westview Jr. Sr. High School was suprised on Dec. 5, 2022, with the announcement that she was the 2023 Lilly Endowment Scholar.

Kamryn demonstrates many of the qualities we seek in a future leader motivated, hard-working and engaged in her school and community. The selection committee was impressed by her service to her community and passion for her career goals.

Octavia Yoder, executive director of the LaGrange County Community Foundation

Kamryn plans to attend Bethel College and pursue a career as a mechanical engineer. She is the daughter of Brian and Brooke Miller of LaGrange.

This year 34 applications competed for the Lilly Endowment Scholarship. Five students were invited to the finalist round for a personal interview. After the field of applicants was narrowed down, nominees were submitted to the statewide administration of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship program, Independent Colleges of Indiana, for the selection of scholarship recipients.

Finalists included Manisha Ramachandran of Lakeland High School; Ella Clark, Ethan Hibbs and Paige Riegsecker, all of Westview Jr.- Sr. High School. Each of the finalists will receive a $1,000 four-year renewable scholarship from the Lambright Leadership Scholarship Fund established by Kevin and Carrie Lambright in 2013.  

The Foundation is honored to nominate a LaGrange County student for this prestigious award. We are grateful Lilly Endowment continues to support future leaders and makes dreams possible for our young students.  Selecting a nominee is a difficult process based on many factors. The committee is impressed by the exceptional scholars in our community.

Octavia Yoder, executive director of LaGrange County Community Foundation

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2022 Community Scholarship Program, which aims to support the educational aspirations of students in LaGrange County.

Through the program, the Community Foundation awarded $99,500 in scholarships to 23 graduating seniors.

The Community Scholarships are open to graduating high school seniors who are pursuing higher education at an accredited university, college, or trade school. The program has grown to 45 donor-created scholarship funds, each with its own unique criteria. Funds are created by individuals, families and businesses and are managed by the Community Foundation.

The scholarship funds support a variety of career paths such as education, agriculture, health, science, nursing, and more.    

Scholarship recipients, listed by schools, are as follows:

Lakeland High School scholarship recipients

• Brooklynn Olinger – Allread Rife Family Scholarship; Bruce Brown Memorial Scholarship; Lakeland High School Scholarship and Mary McGawn Memorial Teaching Scholarship.
• Cole Schiffli – Chase Scott Memorial Football Scholarship; and Joseph Willard Memorial Scholarship.
• Isabella Rasler – Schlemmer Scholarship.
• Jason McBride Jr. – Terry Schmidt Memorial Basketball Scholarship.
• Keylee Fleeman – Brian Evans Memorial Scholarship and Craig & Ronda Neff Memorial Scholarship.
• Lucile Cook – Mattea Holton Memorial Scholarship and The Bulldog Spirit Scholarship.
• Madi Targgart – Judy Gage-Keenan Memorial Scholarship and Waddell Memorial Scholarship.
• Pilar Canedo – Olivia Bay Lemings Memorial Basketball Scholarship and the Paul & Marian Krebs Memorial Scholarship.

Prairie Heights High School scholarship recipients

• Alexandra German – Prairie Heights High School Scholarship.
• Breanda Sutton – Prairie Heights High School Band Scholarship
• Colton Penick – Prairie Heights High School Scholarship and the J. O. Mory Company Scholarship.
• Jaden Soller – Prairie Heights High School Scholarship and the Mory Family Scholarship.
• Katelyn Eash – The Craig & Ronda Neff Memorial Scholarship; Virgil & Florence Hardin Memorial Scholarship; The HOPE Nursing Scholarship; the Perkins Family Scholarship and the Ray & Ruth Culp Memorial Scholarship.
• Kirsten Norton – The Beverly Todd Memorial Scholarship.
• Samarah Orr – The Allread-Rife Family Scholarship, Amanda Crotts Memorial Scholarship and the Prairie Heights High School Scholarship.

Westview High School scholarship recipients

• Allie Springer – Kerry Wilt-Spradlin Memorial Scholarship.
• Bohdy Bontrager – Ellsworth Fanning Memorial Scholarship and the Rheinheimer Family Scholarship.
• Brookelyn Lambright – The Rheinheimer Family Scholarship.
• Isaac Rogers – Lambright Leadership Scholarship, the Mike Farmwald Scholarship and the George O. Witwer News-Sun Journalism Scholarship.
• Jackson Minix – Lambright Leadership Scholarship, the Melvin & Marjorie Bricker Memorial Scholarship.
• Kaylyn Gates – Lambright Leadership Scholarship, the Lyle Smith Scholarship.
• Lillian Eash – Lambright Leadership Scholarship, Holly Petersen Memorial Science Scholarship, the James Kalb Memorial Scholarship, the Keith & Arline Davis Scholarship, the LIFE Scholarship, the Melvin & Marjorie Bricker Memorial Scholarship and the Ned Stump Memorial Scholarship.
• Penelope Eash – The Morgan Hunter Memorial Scholarship.

Anyone can give to current scholarship funds. For more information check out the List of Scholarships or call us at 260-463-4363.

Jean Seagly Crouse Memorial Scholarship Fund

Jean was an advocate for education, teaching for Westview School Corporation for 25 years. She had a passion for children and taught fifth grade at Topeka Elementary, retiring in 1988.

Jean was deeply rooted in Topeka, serving as a member of the Topeka United Methodist Church since 1950 and the United Methodist Women of the church, holding many offices and positions in both. She was a homemaker, Sunday school teacher, and Girl Scout leader. Jean received the Thanks Award for her 10 years of service in Scouting.

She enjoyed history and education, serving as a member of the Topeka Area Historical Society as Vice President. It was clear Jean had a passion for education and community.

The Jean Seagly Crouse Memorial Scholarship Fund will support a LaGrange County high school senior pursuing a degree in education. The scholarship fund will begin to accept applications in the fall of 2023.