Community Foundation of DeKalb County Announces Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Recipient
The Community Foundation DeKalb County is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for DeKalb County – Cord Akey of DeKalb High School. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership.
"Cord Akey exemplifies the qualities we seek in a Lilly Endowment Community Scholar. His exceptional community involvement, impressive academic achievement, strong character, and inspiring leadership stood out throughout the application and interview process," said Tanya Young, Executive Director of the Community Foundation DeKalb County.
Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides 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.
"I am incredibly grateful and honored to receive the Lily Endowment Community Scholarship. This opportunity has been a long-time dream of mine, and there are not enough words to express my appreciation for such an honor. This life-changing scholarship will provide financial relief for my plans to attend Purdue University and major in agricultural engineering. This scholarship is not just an investment in my future but also in the future of the community that has helped shape me, and I look forward to giving back throughout my life and career. Again, I'm so blessed to have received such a prestigious scholarship, and I give all the credit to my family, friends, and community who have supported me all my life," said Cord Akey, Lilly Endowment Community Scholar.
In determining DeKalb County's Lilly Endowment Community Scholar nominees, the Foundation's Scholarship Committee gave consideration to Academics, Community Service, and Leadership. After the field of applicants was narrowed down, nominees were submitted to ICI, the statewide administrator of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, which approves the final selection of scholarship recipi
"DeKalb County continues to have outstanding semi-finalists. These students represent the best of the best in our community. The selection committee was impressed by Cord and the other semi-finalists, who excelled through a rigorous application process," said Tanya Young, the Community Foundation's Executive Director.
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: to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana; to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities; and 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.