Zionsville Community High School senior Caroline Sampson is one of two Boone County recipients of the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, a prestigious full-tuition scholarship awarded to young scholars for community involvement, academic achievement, character and leadership.
Created in 1937, Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment Inc. is a private foundation that supports the causes of community development, education and religion. The scholarship provides full tuition, required fees and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and equipment needed for four years for full-time undergraduate students attending any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university. To be eligible, recipients must be in the top 20 percent of their graduating class; must provide exceptional levels of service to Boone County and surrounding communities; and must plan to pursue a full-time baccalaureate course of study at an Indiana college or university.
Sampson is a multisport athlete and team captain for basketball and lacrosse; a 10-year 4-H member; and a servant leader at ZCHS. She works as a swim instructor and volunteers with basketball and soccer organizations for disabled youth.
Sampson is a Girl Scout and serves on the Zionsville Mayor Youth Advisory Council. She also is active in ZCHS Student Council, Best Buddies and Zionsville Girls Mentoring, where she is president. The seventh of 10 children, Sampson plans to attend the University of Notre Dame, Butler University or IU Bloomington to prepare for a career in health care.
The scholarship selection process is administered locally by the Community Foundation of Boone County.
“We are honored to support (this year’s) Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipients. Their dedication and achievements reflect the incredible potential within our community, and we are excited to see all they will accomplish in the years ahead,” CFBC CEO Julie Reagan stated.
Eight finalists were chosen from nearly 60 applications for the 2025 award, including ZCHS seniors Tobias Dollens, Carson Fu, Andrew Qin, Louisa Santos and Sapna Srinivasan.
“Each year, we cannot imagine a group as impressive as the previous class, and every year the students continue to raise the bar,” CFBC Director of Education and Grantmaking Ali Maxey stated. “This was an incredibly fun, and difficult, task for our selection committee. The students who applied have excelled in every aspect — leadership, scholarship, and community service. These students should be proud of their accomplishments, and we cannot wait to see them soar in the future.”
CFBC unites people, organizations, and philanthropy to create a thriving community for all. Since 1991, its leaders have worked to empower and engage local communities to make a difference in Boone County.
Cole Ramsey of Western Boone Junior-Senior High School is the other Boone County recipient.
