Two Indiana High School seniors join a young man from South Africa as the Class of 2017 winners of the Wabash College Lilly Scholarship.
Thirty students visited campus in early April and competed for the full ride scholarship opportunity. Cole Crouch, Indianapolis, Kyle Stucker, Whiteland, and Jacob Budler, Parklands, South Africa were named the scholarship winners.
Crouch was Senior Class President at Ben Davis High School and was an All-American Swimmer who earned MVP honors. Crouch was an Indianapolis Mayor’s Youth Council Member. He also plays the piano, earned the rank of Eagle Scout, and runs his own lawn care business.
Stucker represented Whiteland High School as a Hoosier Boys State delegate and as his school's National Honor Society President. He played offensive line for Whiteland's football team and was elected Senior Class President. Strucker plays the drums, participated in FBI Youth Leadership Camp, and was a 4-H Ambassador.
Budler attended the private school Elkanah House in Cape Town for five years. He has acted in school musicals, participated in school fund raising committees, and was honored with numerous academic awards. Budler will not arrive at Wabash until January because of a difference in school calendars.
The Wabash College Lilly Award program, named to honor the Lilly family of Indiana, was established by the Wabash College Board of Trustees in 1974. Each year this program recognizes outstanding young men who show high potential 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 Lilly Award, the College’s most prestigious scholarship, is renewable annually and covers the recipient’s tuition, fees, room and board, and is currently valued at over $140,000.
Previous Lilly Winners include:
Class of 2016 — Methuselah Gee, Chicago, IL; Patrick Frankoviak Bryant, Carmel, IN; Alexander Hernandez, La Joya, TX.
Class of 2015 — Kristopher Nickle, Rockville, IN; Lucas Zromkoski, Valparaiso, IN; Edward Pingel, South Bend, IN
Class of 2014 — Spencer Peters, Brookston, IN; Adam Barnes, Bradford, PA; Francisco Huerta, Chicago, IL
Class of 2013 — Riley Floyd, Noblesville,IN; Liam Smith, Lawrence, KS.