MIAMI COUNTY, IN- The Miami County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Miami County – Sophia McKinley of Maconaquah High School. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership.
Sophia is the daughter of Aaron and Heather McKinley and plans to study Political Science and Philosophy to pursue her dream of becoming an attorney. She is involved in FFA, student council, soccer, National Honors Society, and several other organizations in which she has received awards and honors. Throughout high school, Sophia has spent numerous hours volunteering with 4-H, through her youth group, United Way, and many more local organizations.
“Sophia is such a remarkable student; I know that she is going to take full advantage of the wonderful opportunities that this scholarship has to offer,” said Shannon Berger, NICF Scholarship Coordinator. “The scholarship committee had such an amazing group of students as the finalists this year. All of these students are great representatives of Miami County.”
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.
In determining Miami County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholar nominee, consideration was given to academics, volunteerism, and community involvement. After the field of applicants was narrowed down, the nominee was submitted to ICI, the statewide administrator of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, which approves the final selection of scholarship recipient.
The 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship finalists include Corey Nord, Kevin Nord, and Miguel Sebastian, who will receive $1,000 scholarships from the Miami County Community Foundation.
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.
The Miami County Community Foundation works to improve the quality of life in their communities by assisting donors in fulfilling their charitable wishes forever.
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
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.
