The Montgomery County Community Foundation is pleased to announce that Campbell Mason has been named the 2024 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar for Montgomery County. He is a senior at Crawfordsville High School and the son of Keith and Rebekah Mason.
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. The scholarship is for undergraduate students studying on a full-time basis leading to a baccalaureate degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars may also participate in the Lilly Scholars Network (LSN), which connects both current scholars and alumni with resources and opportunities to be active leaders on their campuses and in their communities. Both the scholarship program and LSN are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) and Indiana Humanities.
"I am tremendously fortunate to be named this year's Lilly Endowment Community Scholar,” said Mason. “I am extremely thankful to the Montgomery County Community Foundation and Lilly Endowment for believing in me and investing in my education, as well as for their kindness throughout the entire application process. This scholarship is an incredible opportunity, and I am grateful for the opportunities in my life that it will open. It is the highest honor to be named this scholar in such a great community. I couldn’t have done it without my principals and administrators, dedicated teachers, coaches, friends, and family who supported me throughout the process. It is my current goal to attend the University of Notre Dame to pursue a degree in Economics. Once again, I am humbled and so incredibly grateful for this life-changing opportunity, and I would like to thank everyone involved at the Montgomery County Community Foundation for their belief in me. I aspire to use this further education to bring positive change back to Montgomery County."
Campbell has been involved in many different clubs and organizations throughout his high school career, including National Honor Society, Student Council, Spanish Club, and the CHS Recycling Club. He has also volunteered his time as a peer tutor, member of the Montgomery County Mental Health Task Force, and regularly helps deliver meals to the elderly through Meals on Wheels.
A talented athlete, Campbell has many accomplishments as a four-year member of the CHS varsity swim team. He is a two-time qualifier for the state finals and is serving as captain his senior year. Campbell also competes as a member of the Sugar Creek Swim Club, where he is also a captain. When he’s not in the pool Campbell enjoys playing pickleball with friends, going to the gym, and spending time with his parents and grandparents.
To be considered for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, students must be a resident of Montgomery County, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.85 on a 4.00 scale, and be in the top 10% of their graduating class at an accredited Montgomery County high school. Campbell, along with 19 other local applicants, participated in a highly selective review process that evaluated academic achievement, student activities and leadership, and two essay responses. Finalists were also required to appear before the Board of Directors of the Montgomery County Community Foundation for two interviews. Concluding the process, the scholarship committee narrowed the field of applicants and submitted the finalists’ names and applications to Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI) for final selection of the recipient.
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.
Lilly Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1998-99 school year and has supported the program every year since with grants totaling in excess of $505 million. More than 5,200 Indiana students have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since the program’s inception.
Lilly Endowment Inc. is an Indianapolis-based private foundation created in 1937 by J.K. Lilly Sr. and his sons Eli and J.K. Jr. through gifts of stock in their pharmaceutical business, Eli Lilly and Company. Although the gifts of stock remain a financial bedrock of the Endowment, it is a separate entity from the company, with a distinct governing board, staff and location. In keeping with the founders’ wishes, the Endowment supports the causes of community development, education and religion. Although the Endowment funds programs throughout the United States, especially in the field of religion, it maintains a special commitment to its founders’ hometown, Indianapolis, and home state, Indiana.
Since 1997, Independent Colleges of Indiana has administered the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program statewide with funding provided by Lilly Endowment. Founded in 1948, ICI serves as the collective voice for the state’s 29 private, nonprofit colleges and universities. ICI institutions employ over 22,000 Hoosiers and generate a total local economic impact of over $5 billion annually. Students at ICI colleges have Indiana’s highest four-year, on-time graduation rates, and ICI institutions produce 30 percent of Indiana’s bachelor’s degrees while enrolling 20 percent of its undergraduates.