Keith Yager named 35th Rush County Lilly Endowment Community Scholar

One Rush County student has been named the recipient of a four-year, full-tuition scholarship as the Rush County Community Foundation’s 2017 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar. This year’s recipient is the 35th Rush County student to receive a Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.
 
Keith Yager will receive full tuition to an Indiana college of his choice and a $900 yearly stipend for required books and equipment.
 
Keith is a resident of Richland Township and a senior at Rushville Consolidated High School. He is the son of April and Gary Yager. Keith’s favorite subjects include math and physics and he plans to follow this interest, pursing an engineering or finance degree. He is most interested in attending Purdue, Butler, or Notre Dame. After completing his education he hopes to come back to Rush County, work nearby, and stay involved with the community and his family farm.
 
When asked to describe what has shaped him and his future goals, Keith reflected, “because my life began on a small farm in Rush County, it didn’t take long to realize there is much work to be done every day. As a farm family, each member has a job to do to contribute to the success of the whole. I have watched my parents work tirelessly throughout my life to provide the best life possible for me and my siblings. During my high school career, I have worked very hard to sustain high academic standards while also being a three sport athlete. Balancing academics and my extracurricular activities has taught me to make every minute of my day count.” Beyond working hard to attain good grades and a “Top 10” ranking, Keith has been an active leader throughout his high school career in school and community activities.
 
Upon being presented the scholarship Keith said, “I am extremely honored and thankful to have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. It is by far the greatest award I have received in my life. Having this financial help with my education is a blessing to me and my family.”
 
Keith Yager was chosen from 20 applicants from Rush County. Academic standing, demonstrated leadership, school involvement, community involvement, and financial need all factor in the decision of the nominating committee. The Rush County Community Foundation Lilly Selection Committee uses a blind application review process and does not know the names of the students. Each application is reviewed and judged separately by three members of the committee and is judged in ten separate categories. The committee narrows the field to three nominees and forwards their recommendation to the Board of Directors of the Rush County Community Foundation for final recommendation and submission to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI) for the selection of the recipients.
 
ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 31 regionally accredited degree granting, nonprofit, private colleges and universities in the state.
 
The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program is a statewide initiative to help Hoosier students reach higher levels of education. Indiana ranks among the lowest states in the percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree. Each of the 92 counties of Indiana has the privilege of awarding one or more scholarship, based on population, to exceptional students to attend colleges and universities as Lilly Endowment Community Scholars.
 
Meeting the philanthropic needs of Rush County since 1991, The Rush County Community Foundation, Inc., is a nonprofit public charity established to serve donors, award grants and scholarships, and provide leadership to enrich and enhance the quality of life in Rush County, Indiana, not only today, but for our future generations. For more information please visit or contact the RCCF office at 117 N. Main St., Rushville, IN 46173, or call (765) 938-1177.
Like this? Share it:

Comments are closed for this post.