Lilly scholars named (4/6/04)

Jay County High School seniors Jay Muhlenkamp, Emily Lyons and Adam Ford have been named recipients of the 2004 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships.

The scholarships — which are provided by Lilly Endowment, an Indianapolis-based private foundation — were awarded this morning at JCHS by The Portland Foundation.

These awards are four-year, full-tuition paid scholarships to any accredited Indiana college or university. The students also will receive an $800 stipend for required books and equipment.

Muhlenkamp, the son of Charles and Betty Muhlenkamp of Bryant, currently is ranked first in his class academically with a 4.019 grade point average. He plans to attend Tri-State or Purdue University to study either business or agribusiness.

At JCHS, he served as FFA president and treasurer of the National Honor Society and participated in High School Leadership Committee. He also participates in church and community activities, in-cluding being an active board member of 4-H. He also has held a part-time job all through high school.

Lyons, the daughter of Daniel and Lisa Lyons of Portland, is ranked second in her class academically. Currently, her grade point average is 4.018. She plans to attend DePauw University, where she will major in psychology or pre-law.

At JCHS, Lyons served as FFA treasurer, and she participated in the French Club, Junior Classical League and the National Honor Society. She also is involved in community activities, while holding a part-time job all though high school. She is also an active member of 4-H.

Ford is the son of Dwane and Terri Ford, and he is currently ranked third in his class academically with a grade point average of 4.016. He will attend Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, where he plans to study mechanical engineering.

Ford has served as student council treasurer, president of the Spanish Club and vice president of the National Honor Society. He is a member of the Academic Competition team, the LEO Club Board of Directors, Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the JCHS Marching Patriot Band.

He participates in a variety of church and community activities, including serving on the First National Bank Advisory Board. He is a 10-year member of 4-H, and he holds a part-time job at the Portland Municipal Airport.

The scholarships are the result of a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative to help Hoosier students reach higher levels of education. Indiana ranks among the lowest states in the percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree. There were 363 scholarships awarded statewide with an estimated total of more than $28 million. County population determines the number awarded per community foundation.

Twenty-two Jay County resident with a minimum cumulative 3.7 grade point average applied for a Lilly scholarship. Evaluative criteria designed by The Portland Foundation for the scholarship included academic excellence, financial need, school/community activities and response to essay questions. Four finalists also participated in interviews with the foundation selection committee.

After the selection committee narrowed the field of nominees, the finalists’ names were submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana Inc. for the selection of the recipients. ICI is a non-profit corporation that represents 31 regionally accredited, degree granting, non-profit, private colleges and universities in the state.[[In-content Ad]]