2022 Parke County Lilly Endowment Community Scholar

2022 Parke County Lilly Endowment Community Scholar- Gabriela Campbell

Gabriela, Parke County’s 2022 Lilly Community Scholar, is the daughter of James and Heather Campbell of Rosedale. She is a member of Riverton Parke’s Student Council, Jazz Band, National Honor Society, Academic Bowl Teams, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, 4-H, and Drama Club. Gabriela currently is ranked 1st in her class.

Of the award, Campbell stated, "I’d like to thank the Parke County Community Foundation for every opportunity they’ve given me, from getting to meet other outstanding students from Parke Heritage to not having to work through life with the burden of student debt. I am so grateful for all the support from the people around me, and cannot wait to start college!"

Gabriela’s top consideration for college is Butler University. She is excited about the Engineering Dual Degree Program. In this five-year undergraduate program, she would earn two degrees: a degree in Biomedical Engineering from Purdue University along with a Biochemistry degree from Butler University.

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 of undergraduate study on a full-time basis leading to a baccalaureate degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university.

Lilly Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1998-1999 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling in excess of $439 million. More than 5,000 Indiana students have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since the program’s inception. 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 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar was nominated from numerous applications submitted. The Foundation utilizes a scholarship selection sub-committee comprised of individuals not associated in any other capacity with the Foundation to review applications and determine the finalists whose applications are then forwarded to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) for final selection of the recipient. Independent Colleges of Indiana is a non-profit corporation that represents 29 regionally accredited degree-granting, non-profit, private colleges and universities in the state and is the statewide administrator of the scholarship program.