Hendricks County Community Foundation Announces 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars
Hendricks County Community Foundation
Announces 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars
The Hendricks County Community Foundation is excited to announce the recipients of the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship:
- Heiabeal Ainom, Avon High School
- Graci O'Neal, Danville High School
- Whitney Smith, Cascade High School
Heiabeal Ainom is the daughter of Ainom Tewelde and Sara Tewelde. She serves as the captain of the World Schools Debate team at Avon High School, is a part of the girl’s tennis team, and is a worship leader at her church. Heiabeal also enjoys being an intern at Sheltering Wings and assisting immigrants in acclimating to life in America. She plans on studying business and law at either Indiana University or Notre Dame to become an immigration attorney to represent and support her Eritrean community.
Graci O'Neal is the daughter of William and Heather O'Neal. She is the president of the Danville FFA Chapter and is a 10-year 4-H member. She enjoys spending time with her friends and family, showing livestock, and volunteering in the community. Graci hopes to attend Purdue University and major in animal science or pre-veterinary medicine. After college, she aspires to attend Veterinary School and become a doctor of veterinary medicine for large and small animals.
Whitney Smith is the daughter of Jason and Carrie Smith, and is president of Cascade's FFA chapter. She has been heavily involved with her chapter, serving as a Co-Chairman, competition coach, and liaison for the Danville Farm Bureau. She is also involved with the Indiana 4-H program, showing both livestock and non-animal projects. She is the owner of Smith Farms, a multi-species vegetable operation, and sells her produce online and through local markets. Whitney plans to attend Purdue University to study Agricultural Education, hoping to return to Cascade High School as an educator.
The Hendricks County Community Foundation received more than 400 scholarship applications from Hendricks County students. After the applications were reviewed, ten students were chosen to be interviewed. Finalists included:
- Jackson Aldridge, Plainfield High School
- Lena Hammersley, Brownsburg High School
- Colton McClure, Plainfield High School
- Ria Merkle, Brownsburg High School
- Adelynne Paschal, Cascade High School
- Saavan Patel, Avon High School
- Rylee Smith, Cascade High School
Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership. 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 full-time undergraduate students 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.
Lilly Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1997-98 school year. Since then, grant funding in excess of $490 million has supported more than 5,300 Indiana students who have received scholarships through the program.
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.