Three young men have been named the 2009 Wabash College Lilly Scholars. Young men from Noblesville, Indiana, Euless, Texas, and Lawrence, Kansas, are this year’s winners.
The winners are:
Riley Floyd, Noblesville High School, Noblesville, Indiana.
Floyd is the son of Lisa Floyd and the late Douglas Floyd. He served as the Noblesville student newspaper web editor and production editor. He is a member of "Law Explorers," a mock trial team. He has been Key Club president since his sophomore year. Floyd is team captain for the school’s spell bowl team and served as a student ambassador for People to People, traveling to Greece, Italy and France.
Thomas Schmidt, Nolan Catholic High School, Euless, Texas.
Schmidt is the son of Scott and Shirley Schmidt of Euless. His grandfather Ernest Ray Schmidt, of Lawton, Oklahoma, is a 1959 Wabash graduate. Schmidt has been very actively involved in his high school choir. He was named three times to the all-state Texas choir, he was won several choir awards. He sings bass. He also has been an active Boy Scout. He backpacked across the Philmont region of New Mexico and has a strong interest in physical conditioning.
Liam Smith, Bishop Seabury Academy, Lawrence, Kansas.
Smith is the son of Sarah St. John and Dennis Smith. He has been an active journalist and theatre participant at Bishop Seabury Academy. He worked for the school’s newspaper and yearbook, concentrating on photo journalism. He has performed on stage during his junior and senior years in a number of productions. He was a Kansas Boys State delegate, and participated in summer leadership training programs and a journalism institute during his high school years.
Wabash hosted 30 young men the weekend of April 17 for the 34th annual Lilly Award Scholarships. The students were interviewed by panels of Wabash educators and alumni. To be eligible for the award a student must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 on the 4.0 scale, rank in top 20 percent of their senior class, and score at least 1720 on the SAT or have an ACT composite of at least 25.
The award is the College’s most prestigious honor for incoming freshmen, and is renewable annually to cover the recipient’s tuition, fees, room and board. The current value exceeds $140,000.