DREAM BIG: Lilly scholarship finalists have wide range of service experiences – The Daily Reporter – Greenfield Indiana
By Shelley Swift | Daily Reporter
Eight highly-accomplished Hancock County students recently received a call that could make an indelible impact on their futures.
All eight have been selected as finalists for next year’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships, which cover the full cost of a four-year college education.
The Community Foundation of Hancock County helps administer the Lilly Scholarship Program locally each year, selecting eight finalists from a talented pool of applicants, including two students from each of Hancock County’s four high schools.
According to the foundation, the Lilly Scholarship Program is designed to not only raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana but to also increase awareness of the roles foundations play in their communities.
The program also enables scholarship winners to engage with each other as educational, nonprofit and civic leaders, to improve the quality of life in communities throughout the state.
Community service is the primary criterion to qualify, which means finalists have demonstrated a passion for serving their communities in a wide variety of ways.
Academics also play a big role.
To be eligible in Hancock County, applicants must must be county residents and attend one of the county’s four public high schools, be ranked in the academic top 15% of their graduating class and plan to pursue a baccalaureate course of study to be completed in four years at any accredited Indiana public or private college or university.
Student applications are submitted online and reviewed blindly by third-party professional evaluators from outside the county.
This year’s finalists were announced Monday.
Each will be honored at the school board meetings in their respective school districts in November, before the two scholarship winners for 2026 are announced in December.
Last year’s winners were Luke Schilling of Eastern Hancock High School and Chase Shinkle of New Palestine High School. Both graduated last spring and started college this fall.
Read on to learn more about this year’s finalists:
Heidi Bloomer
Heidi Bloomer attends New Palestine High School and plans to study exercise science and occupational therapy at the University of Indianapolis. She is the daughter of Chris and Michelle Bloomer.
In her scholarship application, Heidi said her passion for compassionate care has grown through volunteer work with both young students and elderly individuals in memory care, and that she enjoys supporting those with developmental disabilities.
She has served as a Special Olympics coach, Unified Track peer helper and classroom peer tutor, and will participate in the Cadet Teaching program for the Essential Skills Program at New Palestine Junior High School.
As part of her commitment to health science, Heidi has been certified in CPR and has studied biomedical science, anatomy, psychology and American Sign Language.
A good deal of her community service has been done through her church, Zion Lutheran, where she’s been a member since 2018.
Her service includes playing piano at church services, visiting home-bound individuals, preparing meals and organizing fundraisers. She also teaches at Vacation Bible School.
On her Lilly scholarship application, Heidi shared that one of her proudest achievements was organizing a community 5K race to raise funds for a youth gathering in New Orleans. Inspired by Bible verse Hebrews 12:1 and her love for running, she led all aspects of planning — from securing sponsors to writing a devotion for participants.
Since 2022, she has coached the Hancock County Special Olympic swim team, and has attended the Summer Games in Terre Haute four times.
For three years, she has volunteered as an assistant activities director at Woodland Terrace senior living center, leading piano sessions, bingo, baking and physical activities, often designing her own programs. Heidi shared the experience has strengthened her connection to seniors and deepened her understanding of service.
She’s been involved with the Hancock County Children’s Theater Workshop since 2018, first as a participant and now as an alumni volunteer. Each summer she helps with costumes, choreography and backstage management.
Through New Palestine’s cross country and track teams, Heidi helps lead the Dragon Flyers Camp for elementary students. For three years, she has coordinated activities and mentored future athletes.
She also supports school events through the National Honor Society, VOICE and student council, and has contributed to robotics competitions, carnivals and music contests.
Heidi shared that she views each opportunity as a way to build school culture and represent her community with pride.
Gustavo Contreras
Gustavo Contreras is a Greenfield-Central High School senior who plans to study accounting at Indiana University-Bloomington next year. He is the son of Edgar Contreras and Blanca Barajas.
As the son of Mexican immigrants, Gustavo said he has had the privilege of growing up in America with opportunities that many others in his community have not had.
His parents’ relentless hard work provided a life free of obstacles, he said, and he now seeks to give back by pursuing a career in accounting.
Gustavo said being an accountant will enable him to help his fellow community members with a variety of services, from filing taxes and financial guidance. His goal is to use his education to empower others while preparing himself for future success, including opening his own business.
Studying accountancy will equip him with the fundamentals of business and enable him to repay his parents for their sacrifices, he said.
At Greenfield-Central High School, he has spent three years peer tutoring English Language Learner (ELL) students. He primarily assisted Spanish-speaking students by translating instructions and reteaching lessons in Spanish. He also supported students who spoke Haitian Creole, Chinese and French to the best of his ability.
He also volunteers with the Greenfield Area Soccer Club, a nonprofit organization that promotes inclusivity and a love for soccer. His contributions include working in the concession stand, transporting elderly and disabled individuals between fields, and playing with special-needs youth who enjoy the sport.
His extracurricular activities include participating on the high school’s student council and soccer team, as well as Sunshine Society, Spanish Honor Society and Science National Honor Society. He has also been a student athletic trainer, and served as class president and the cheer mascot his freshman year.
Outside of school, he works as a team lead at Los Charros D&G Mexican Grill and Bar in Knightstown.
In his scholarship application, Gustavo shared that witnessing the challenges faced by immigrant students at his school opened his eyes to the hardships his parents and others have endured. He said as Hancock County grows, more families arrive in search of the American dream, and he has developed a passion for helping these families not just survive but thrive.
He has a vision of creating a resource center to assist immigrants with job searches, English classes and integration into the community, and hopes to provide financial support for children of immigrant families pursuing higher education, helping them build careers and give back to the community.
Tate Cougill
Tate Cougill is a senior at Mt. Vernon High School and is the son of Dean and Jennifer Cougill.
He plans to attend the University of Notre Dame and study film and economics, with plans to pursue a career in documentary filmmaking to spotlight societal issues.
Tate shared that film has long inspired him, and he hopes to create thought-provoking pieces that offer new perspectives that encourage reflection.
Alongside filmmaking, he plans to study economics to better understand global systems and how they intersect with human experiences. By combining storytelling with economic insight, he aims to advocate for change that resonates across diverse communities.
Tate volunteers with the Heartland International Film Festival, for which he helps pre-screen films. He watched 34 submissions last year. He also founded a film club at his school and serves as president.
Tate is also a member of his school’s tennis team, National Honor Society, Marauder Mentors and Community Service Club.
Through Mt. Vernon Athletics, he has supported youth tennis camps, Booster Blast events and basketball concessions.
Tate has also tutored Mt. Vernon Middle School students through the Hancock County Youth Assistance Program, supporting them in core subjects to improve academic performance.
As a rising junior, he was selected for the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Seminar and later served as a junior staffer, mentoring ambassadors and completing more than 100 hours of community service through various organizations.
He has been an active member in student government throughout high school, contributing to service projects such as bell ringing for the Salvation Army, volunteering at food pantries and assisting at a horse therapy center. As chair of his school’s Staff Appreciation Week, he organized wellness bags for school staff. He also led Mental Health Week initiatives, including meditation events, and has expanded service leadership through new initiatives like a school-wide hygiene drive and the creation of a Hygiene House for year-round donations.
Elijah Manship
Elijah Manship attends Eastern Hancock High School and plans to attend DePauw University to study environmental science and engineering. He is the son of Mike and Libby Manship.
Elijah is passionate about environmental sciences and aims to apply his knowledge to real-world challenges. A job shadowing experience involving electrofishing in the Tippecanoe River sparked his interest in fieldwork and solving environmental problems.
He plans to explore career paths in environmental research, education, engineering, policy or conservation, with a focus on understanding ecosystem interactions to protect the environment for future generations.
He leads Eastern Hancock High School’s P.A.S.S. Program (Players Assisting in Selfless Service), which raises money for local charities based on basketball assists. Under his leadership, donations grew from $800 to more than $5,000 last year. He plans to mentor younger teammates to continue expanding the initiative.
Through Scouting America, Elijah has participated in numerous service projects, including trail cleanups and food drives. His Eagle Scout project raised more than $13,500 to upgrade the elementary school playground at Eastern Hancock. He led the construction of picnic tables, installed adjustable basketball goals, repainted court lines and resolved drainage issues, in an effort to create a more accessible and engaging space for students.
He volunteers at Eastern Hancock youth sports camps, mentoring young athletes in football, basketball and track. His roles include coaching, announcing games and assisting with setup and logistics. In his scholarship application, he shared that these experiences allow him to give back to programs that shaped his own development.
For nine years, he has supported the Hancock County Ag Association, helping with fair preparations and event logistics. His tasks range from setting up sound equipment and cleaning barns to constructing trash bins and clearing storm debris.
At Nameless Creek Youth Camp, he performs environmental maintenance tasks such as weed eating, trail cleanup and beautification, efforts that he says have deepened his commitment to environmental stewardship and community service.
Lilli Maxwell
Lilli Maxwell attends Eastern Hancock High School, and she is the daughter of Chris and Brittani Maxwell. She plans to attend Anderson University to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering, inspired by watching her grandfather work in the field.
Her interest in engineering deepened through hands-on experiences at a career center, where she rebuilt a generator engine and assembled robots from scratch, sparking a passion for problem-solving and design.
Lilli is the president of EH VOICE, a subgroup of Hancock County VOICE, advocating against tobacco use among peers and the community. Over four years, she has led meetings, presented to school boards and sixth-graders, organized cigarette butt pickups, and attended trainings and conferences. As a Core Leader for the county, she contributes ideas and promotes education on the dangers of tobacco.
She is also a member of NASA Youth Council, working to educate peers on alcohol and marijuana abuse. She helps host youth summits for ninth- and tenth-graders and visits schools to teach younger students about over-the-counter drug safety.
In student council, she has served as class president as a freshman and sophomore, and council president as a junior and senior. She helps organize school events like homecoming, pep rallies and the Halloween Bash, and volunteers at Once Upon a Prom.
As a National Honor Society member since her sophomore year, she supports school functions through concession stands, event setup and community outreach, like writing Santa letters for first-graders.
Lilli is also a member of the National Technical Honor Society, and works at the Boys and Girls Club.
At her church she volunteers on the Dream Team, serving on the Hype and Hospitality teams. She greets attendees, decorates for holidays and helps with themed events.
Carolina Sanders
Carolina Sanders attends Greenfield-Central High School, and is the daughter of Keith and Metta Sanders. She plans to attend Anderson University to pursue a degree in elementary education.
In her Lilly scholarship application, Carolina shared she is driven by a lifelong passion for working with young children. Since her freshman year she has enrolled in teaching and education courses, gaining hands-on experience in classrooms at Weston Elementary, Harris Elementary and Cougar Cubs Preschool. She also worked with children at the Greenfield Parks and Recreation Department’s Kids Kamp, where she discovered the joy of nurturing curiosity and helping children learn.
She has volunteered nine years at Hancock County Humane Society, a feline-only shelter, assisting with cleaning, organizing, maintaining detailed records and medicating cats and kittens.
For four years she has volunteered at Hancock County Food Pantry, organizing food and hygiene products and loading vehicles, supporting families throughout the county.
She joined Jobs for America’s Graduates (JAG), now known as LEAP, her junior year and actively participated in several community projects. She helped organize her high school’s Veterans Day Parade and flag garden, coordinated a paper flag memorial, led a clothing drive for displaced veterans and collected more than 3,800 books for Hancock County’s Little Free Libraries.
Her extracurricular involvement includes three years in choir, Spanish Honor Society, National Honor Society, Student Leadership Academy and LEAP. She works as a cashier and baker at The Confection Connection in Greenfield.
Isabelle Singer
Isabelle Singer attends New Palestine High School, and is the daughter of Jason and Angie Singer. She plans to attend Purdue University to pursue a career in Hospitality and Tourism Management, specifically within the hotel industry at the Walt Disney Co.
For the past three years, Isabelle has volunteered with Hancock County’s Special Olympics swim team, assisting athletes during practices and events. Her role includes helping swimmers with drills, ensuring safety, and offering encouragement. She said the experience has taught her patience, empathy and the importance of inclusive athletics.
She has also served as a Unified Track partner at New Palestine High School for two years, supporting students with intellectual disabilities during practices and meets. Though she competes in regular track and field, she dedicates time to helping teammates warm up, stay motivated and feel included.
Her volunteer work extends to school-sponsored programs like swim and robotics. For three years, she has supported swim meets as a timer and robotics competitions by assisting with setup, equipment, and team coordination, which she said has enhanced her attention to detail, problem-solving, and communication skills.
Isabelle participated in Hancock County Children’s Theater for three years and has returned as a volunteer choreographer for the past three. She teaches dance routines, supports rehearsals and mentors young performers. She said she’s grateful to give back to a program that helped shape her confidence and teamwork.
Her extracurricular involvement includes four years in marching band, student council, swim team, track and field, Riley Dance Marathon Committee, Spanish National Honor Society, Science National Honor Society, National Honor Society, VOICE (promoting a tobacco-free lifestyle) and the Dragon Athletic Leadership Council. She also works as a swim instructor and at The Confection Connection.
Her commitment to service is reflected in seven years of volunteering at Zion Lutheran Church and School, where she has led a Vacation Bible School group, organized church yard sales, and helped prepare and serve meals during major holidays. She also participated in the Adopt a Family initiative, collecting and wrapping gifts for families in need.
Isabelle shared that these experiences have strengthened her leadership, teamwork and communication skills while deepening her connection to the community.
Brady Webber
Brady Webber, the son of Luke and Stacy Webber, is a senior at Mt. Vernon High School. He plans to attend Indiana University-Bloomington to study professional sales and marketing and finance.
His hope is to pursue a career in entrepreneurship, with the goal of owning and operating a business in Hancock County.
Brady’s community service began in middle school at Fortville Area Resource Mission (FARM), where he volunteered alongside his grandmother. Over the years he has organized monthly donations, packed food bags and delivered them to local schools, helping underprivileged students access basic nutrition. He also led a food bag project through the National Honor Society.
At Holy Spirit at Geist, he has led youth retreats and participated in service projects such as spring cleaning, Thanksgiving baskets and Christmas gift donations. As a retreat leader, he planned meetings, supervised small groups and gave witness talks, helping younger students grow in faith and connection. He shared that these experiences have shaped him into a compassionate and empathetic leader.
Brady has a history of serving individuals with special needs. Starting in elementary school with Unified Champions, he continued through Best Buddies, Special Olympics and TOP Soccer. As event coordinator for Best Buddies, he plans inclusive activities and ensures all members feel valued. He has also taught soccer to children with disabilities through Impact Youth Board events, combining his love for sports with service.
Motivated by a desire to support his peers, he founded a men’s Bible study group that has grown to more than 50 participants. Inspired by his involvement in Bring Change 2 Mind, he created a safe space for students to discuss struggles and strengthen their faith. He prepares discussion topics and leads weekly meetings. Brady said that guided by his grandfather, he has built a supportive community that continues to impact lives.
As a counselor at Camp Invention, he guided students through STEM activities, which reinforced in him the importance of inspiring the next generation.
Brady volunteers at school events like Booster Blast and Track or Treat, creating positive experiences for children and raising funds for athletics, giving back to the programs that shaped him.
He recently joined the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Student of the Year campaign, inspired by a friend’s recovery from leukemia. He will help organize fundraising events and raise awareness, honoring his friend’s journey and supporting others facing similar battles.
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