MADISON, Indiana – One local student has been named the recipient of a four-year, full-tuition scholarship as the Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson County’s 2021 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar.
Southwestern High School senior Abigail Fulton has been selected as the 2021 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar. Abby will receive full tuition to the Indiana college or university of her choice and a $900 yearly stipend for required books and equipment.
Abby is currently considering attending Butler University or the University of Notre Dame and is planning to pursue a career in law. Abby is the daughter of Josh and Paula Fulton of Hanover. The three-sport varsity athlete is ranked #1 in her class and serves as Student Council president. She helped found the Mayor’s Youth Council and represents the United Way among her many philanthropic endeavors.
Upon learning of the award Fulton commented, “I felt gratitude and immense appreciation for the Community Foundation, all of the faculty and staff at Southwestern High School and my loving family for allowing me to have this lifechanging opportunity. I am so thankful to have received this award and am excited to use it as my pathway for bettering the lives of fellow Hoosiers through a career in politics and law.”
Thirty-two Jefferson County students applied for the scholarship this year, and six finalists were identified. In addition to Fulton, the remaining finalists (and their schools) were Sebastian Biallas (Madison), Autumn Harmon (Southwestern), Johanna Leatherman (Shawe Memorial), Emily Studebaker (Madison), and Trey Suggett (Shawe Memorial). The finalists will each receive a $1,000 Community Foundation Scholar Award from the Community Foundation of Madison and Jefferson County for their efforts and achievements.
Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI) administers the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship statewide and selects the final recipients. ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 30 regionally accredited degree granting, nonprofit, private colleges and universities in the state. The scholarships are the result of a statewide Lilly Endowment initiative to help Hoosier students reach higher levels of education. Including the 24th cohort, 4,912 full-tuition scholars have been awarded and over $424 million in scholarship tuition has been provided since the program’s inception in 1998.
