Lilly scholars named at JC (04/07/06)

A gathering of proud parents, supportive students and encouraging administrators, two Jay County High School students received one of the state’s most coveted scholarships Thursday — one that means endless opportunities and freedom from the financial strains of receiving a college education.

Seniors Abby Schmiesing and James Brosher have been named the Portland Foundation’s 2006 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars. This honor will afford them four years of full tuition at the Indiana college or university of their choice, as well as a stipend of $800 each year for books and other expenses.

The smiles, hugs and tears of joy Thursday afternoon marked the culmination of an application process that began before the winter holidays, and preparation that began before Schmiesing and Brosher set foot inside JCHS.

“I feel like I’ve worked for this my whole life,” Schmiesing said, wiping away tears. “I heard they were going to announce it today and I haven’t been able to concentrate on anything!”

Brosher was also emotional.

“I am really surprised,” he said, searching for words. “I knew I was in the running for it but I really had no idea.”

Schmiesing, who clung alternately to her mother Cindy Schmiesing and father Gary Schmiesing while Doug Inman, executive director of The Portland Foundation and president of the Jay School Board, discussed the honor, resides in rural Portland and plans to attend Indiana University to major in Spanish education.

She is third in her class with a 4.0 GPA, serves as president of the Foreign Exchange Club and is the captain of the English and Academic Competition teams. In addition, Schmiesing is employed at Arts Place and volunteers as an English as a second language tutor.

Schmiesing has also played soccer for Jay County for four years and was named offensive MVP this past fall.

Brosher, the son of Tom and Georgia Brosher, Dunkirk, is unsure of where he will attend college this fall, since he has been accepted to both Indiana University and Ball State University, but plans to study journalism.

Brosher is ranked fifth in his class with a GPA of 3.95. He has started his journalism career early, as director of the Jay Today staff and editor of both the school yearbook and newspaper. He also edits the newsletters for the West Jay Optimists and the Crown City Cruisers Car Club, of which he is also a member.

Brosher has also played golf for Jay County for four years, is pursuing his Eagle Scout classification, and is president of the German Club.

Both students are members of the National Honor Society.

Schmiesing and Brosher were selected from a pool of 28 Jay County seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.5 who applied for the scholarship.

The Portland Foundation designed evaluation criteria based on academic achievement, financial need, school and community involvement and whether the student would be a first generation college student.

The field was narrowed to six finalists, who were interviewed by the Foundation selection committee and completed an impromptu essay.

The final two and an alternate were then submitted to the Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc, for final approval. ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 31 private colleges and universities in the state.

County population determines how many scholarships each community can dispense.

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholars program debuted in 1998 as part of a state-wide initiative to encourage more Hoosiers to receive higher education.

Indiana ranks 46th in the nation with respect to the percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree.[[In-content Ad]]