Six young men have been awarded Lilly Scholarships - Wabash College's most prestigious financial aid award. The young men come from four different states across the country.
"Each year this program recognizes outstanding young men who show high potential for leadership and future promise - men who are likely to have an impact not only on Wabash, but on their community and thus on our world," the students read in an application brochure.
The six winners are: Jason Allen, Perrysville, In., North Vermillion High School; Jamie Cantu, Raymondville, Tx., South Texas High School of Health Professions; Daniel Eddelman, Columbus, In., Columbus North High School; Jacob Grow, Columbus, In., Columbus North High School; Nick Rockefeller, Topeka, Ks., Washburn Rural High School; Jacob Stump, Owasso, Ok., Owasso High School.
The scholarship hopefuls went through a series of interviews with members of the Wabash faculty, staff, and alumni. The College usually awards six scholarships during the Lilly Scholarship Weekend. The scholarship is renewable for four years and covers the recipient's tuition, fees, room and board. Wabash College's Financial Aid Office currently estimates the Lilly Award's value for the next four years at $120,000.
To be eligible a student must:
* have a GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale,
* rank within the top 20 percent of his senior class,
* have an SAT score of at least 1710, or an ACT composite of at least 25.
The qualifications are considered minimum standards. "We also look at individual accomplishments and abilities - achievements which may be even more important than your grades or test scores," the students are told. "WE carefully consider all outstanding achievements, both academic and extracurricular, and we weigh one significant demonstration of leadership more heavily than casual participation in many activities.
"Especially impressive are young men who have shown particular initiative, worked independently or innovatively, or made a vital contribution to their school or community."
The Lilly Awards finalists were: Jason Allen, Perrysville, In.; Aaron Bonar, Terre Haute, In.; Jaime Cantu, Raymondsville, Tx.; Brad Casselman, Zionsville, In.; John Cecil, Granger, In.; Nathaniel Colglazier, New Haven, In.; Forrest Craig, Morristown, In.; Daniel Eddelman, Columbus, In.; Migel Esquivel, Salinas, Ca.; Cody Grady, Redkey, In.; Jacob Grow, Columbus, In.; Andrew Hoffman, Fort Wayne, In.; William Hoffman, Indianapolis, In.; Gary James, Meridian, Ms.; Jonathan Johnson, Dixon, Mo.; Bradley Jones, Indianapolis, In.; Jeffrey Kessels, Union, Mo.; Joshua Mitchel, Bloomington, In.; John Murphy, Seattle, Wa.; Victor Nava, Del Valle, Tx.; Jonathan O'Donnell, Huntington, In.; Kyle Platt, Elkhart, In.; Nicholas Rockefeller, Topeka, Ks.; Joseph Schuster, Denmark, Wi; Alexander Schwent, Festus, Mo.; Gregory Slisz, Indianapolis, In.; Jacob Stump, Owasso, Ok.; Jonathan Torrez, Harlingen, Tx.; Vincent Tran, Kansas City, Mo.; Craig Wildey, Indianapolis, In.
In photos:
Above: Admissions' Steve Marcou looks for name tags for arriving Lilly Scholar Finalists.
On homepages: Jackson Price '08, a Lilly Scholar, talks with finalists before Thursday night's dinner.