Five Wayne County seniors, four from Richmond and one from Centerville, selected as finalists for Lilly Scholarship

RICHMOND, Ind. — Five Wayne County seniors will by vying for a prestigious scholarship next month.

The Wayne County Foundation announced in a press release Friday, Oct. 20, 2023 the five finalists for the 2024 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.

Out of a pool of 68 applicants, four students were selected from Richmond High School with the fifth from Centerville Senior High School.

The four from Richmond are Hannah Cravens, Olivia Dudas, Sammy Humphrey and Allison Stout, while Centerville's representative is Lorelei Guenther.

The press release stated that every application underwent a thorough review process by the Foundation's independent selection committee, with consideration to each student's activities, achievements, community service, academic performance, financial need, work experience, and leadership potential.

The next stage of the process will be interviews with each of the finalists, scheduled for early November, in which interview scores will be attributed to the selection process. The top two who are selected in December will then receive a four-year, full-tuition scholarship to use at any college or university in the state of Indiana, which includes up $900 annually for required textbooks and equipment.

“These students represent some of the best and brightest in Wayne County and we look forward to learning more about them during their interviews," Foundation Executive Director Rebecca Gilliam said in the release.

To date, 55 Wayne County students have been awarded the scholarship since the program began in 1998.

For more information on the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship or other scholarships administered by the Wayne County Foundation, visit https://waynecountyfoundation.org/ or contact Kelley Cruse-Nicholson, Nonprofit Relations Manager, at 765-962-1638.

Evan Weaver is a news and sports reporter at The Palladium-Item. Contact him at 260-564-0196 or email at eweaver@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Richmond Palladium-Item: Five Wayne County seniors selected as finalists for Lilly Scholarship