Janna Teusch awarded 2023 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Huntington County

The Huntington County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2023 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Huntington County- Janna Teusch of Huntington North High School. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership.

“The scholarship committee is pleased to congratulate Janna Teusch and her family on being selected for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. Janna conducted herself with poise and confidence throughout the application and interview process. Her commitment to study elementary education and have an impact on young lives in the classroom is inspiring and we are excited to see what her future holds.” Dr. Janelle Maxwell-Pflieger, chair of the scholarship committee, stated.

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 undergraduate students studying on a full-time basis 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.

“I am truly honored to have been chosen as this year’s recipient of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. I have been blessed to have family and friends who have poured continual encouragement and prayer over my life. I’m thankful for all of the educators and coaches that touched my life and inspired me along this journey. Most of all thank you to the Lilly Endowment for offering such a life-changing gift.” Janna Teusch.

Huntington County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholar was nominated after an extensive selection process by the Community Foundation’s Scholarship Committee. The applicants’ names were redacted before the applications were sent to the scholarship committee. Each committee member individually evaluated applications and submitted their scores independently. The scores were compiled to select the applicants who would move on to the interview process. After the first round of interviews, finalists were selected to advance to the second-round interview. From that process, a nominee was chosen. After the field of applicants was narrowed down, the nominee was 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 1998-99 school year and has supported the program every year since with grants totaling in excess of $486 million. More than 5,000 Indiana students have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since the program’s inception.

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.

The mission of the Huntington County Community Foundation is to connect people and resources with opportunities that enhance the quality of life for all.

Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private philanthropic foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff, and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The Endowment funds significant programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion. However, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.

Since 1997, Independent Colleges of Indiana has administered the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program statewide with funding provided by Lilly Endowment. Founded in 1948, ICI serves as the collective voice for the state’s 29 private, nonprofit colleges and universities. ICI institutions employ over 22,000 Hoosiers and generate a total local economic impact of over $5 billion annually. Students at ICI colleges have Indiana’s highest four-year, on-time graduation rates, and ICI institutions produce 30 percent of Indiana’s bachelor’s degrees while enrolling 20 percent of its undergraduates.