Frankfort High School student Lizbeth Contreras is the Clinton County Community Foundation 2022 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character and leadership.
Lizbeth is the daughter of Jose J. Contreras Ortiz and Irma Espinoza Ruiz.
She takes part in activities ranging from the school Orchestra (solo and ensemble) to being on the Youth/Junior Board of the Clinton County Humane Society. Lizbeth is an active volunteer in both school and area service programs for the local Hispanic/Latino community. Plus, this member of the National Honor Society also competes in the Science Olympiad.
Lizbeth plans to study health at Purdue University.
About the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program
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 of undergraduate study 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 scholars 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 the Endowment to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI).
The selection criteria identified by the Clinton County Community Foundation included academic achievement; school, community and work activities; essay; financial need; potential for success; and an interview. Thirty-two Clinton County students applied for the scholarship. A committee of volunteers evaluated the applications and selected four finalists who were interviewed by the Clinton County Community Foundation Services Committee.
After the Clinton County Community Foundation Services Committee selected the four finalists, the names were submitted to ICI for the selection of recipients.
“Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship applicants really exemplify the quality and abilities of Clinton County students,” said Alicia Albertson, chairman of the Clinton County Community Foundation Services Committee. “The scholarship also encourages them to remain in Indiana and participate in the communities where they reside. The Endowment utilizes the Community Foundation to administer the program as a way to emphasize the value of education and to support Indiana’s community foundations.”
The Foundation recognized the achievements of the other three finalists with $1,000 renewable scholarships. They are Ashley Campos-Hernandez, Frankfort High School; Nissa Freestone, Clinton Prairie High School; and Cain Martin, Clinton Central High School.
The Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1998-1999 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling in excess of $439 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. With the 2022 awards, 41 Clinton County residents have received the scholarship, representing an approximate value of $3 million.
The Clinton County Community Foundation is a not-for-profit charitable organization created in 1996. The mission of the Foundation is to improve the quality of life of the community through the accumulation and stewardship of enduring charitable gifts. For details about making a charitable gift or establishing a permanent endowment fund to benefit a charitable organization or interest in Clinton County, please contact the Community Foundation at (800) 964-0508 or visit the Web site at www.cfclinton.org.
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.