The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne has announced the five recipients of the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Allen County.
Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are recognized for their exceptional community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership. To be eligible, Allen County students must demonstrate successfully overcoming an obstacle, show financial need, academic performance, and community involvement, and provide a personal statement of goals.
The students chosen as the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholars for Allen County are:
- Prestin Salyer from Homestead High School
- Alexandra Cabrera Wayne High School
- Ka Bya Lay Northside High School
- Alanya Brentlinger New Haven High School
- Hayden Couey Leo Jr/Sr High School
“These scholars stand out not only for their academic excellence but also for their ability to persevere through life’s challenges,” said Brad Little, Chief Executive Officer of the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne. “Their achievements reflect extraordinary determination and strength, and it’s an honor to support their educational journeys. Each year, we are reminded of the profound impact these scholarships have on shaping bright futures for the recipients, their families, and our community.”
Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides full tuition, required fees, and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and equipment for four years.
The scholarship supports full-time undergraduate studies leading to a baccalaureate degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university. Recipients also have the opportunity to participate in the Lilly Scholars Network (LSN), connecting scholars and alumni with resources and l 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.
In selecting the recipients, the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program Nominating Committee evaluated applicants based on their Qualities. The nominees were then submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI), the program’s statewide administrator, which approved the final selections.
Since its inception during the 1997-98 school year, the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program has awarded over $490 million to support more than 5,300 Indiana students.
The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program are to:
1. Help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana
2. Increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities
3. 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
About the Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne
The Community Foundation of Greater Fort Wayne does three things: help people make their charitable giving more impactful, connect resources to nonprofits through grantmaking and education, and provide leadership to address community needs. The organization connects people and resources daily to build a more vibrant community. As of December 31, 2023, the Community Foundation held charitable assets of approximately $221 Million and awarded more than $10 million in charitable grants and scholarships throughout the same year. Since its formation in 1922, the Community Foundation has awarded more than $194 million in charitable grants.
About Lilly Endowment Inc.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private 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. Although the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana. To learn more information, visit the website at www.lillyendowment.org.
About Independent Colleges of 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. To learn more, visit the website at www.icindiana.org.