DCF Names Two Lilly Scholarship Winners

Four other finalists also received scholarship money.

Tyler Stenger (left) and Aiden Sirk. Photos provided.

(Dearborn County, Ind.) - Two Dearborn County high school seniors learned today that they are the 2026 recipients of a prestigious Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. The Dearborn Community Foundation (DCF) staff made surprise visits today to award full-tuition scholarships to East Central High School’s Tyler Stenger and Lawrenceburg High School’s Aiden Sirk.

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 of undergraduate study 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 scholars with resources and opportunities to be active leaders on their campuses and in their communities. Both the scholarship program and the LSN are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI), and Indiana Humanities.

“Tyler and Aiden epitomize what the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship is all about: community involvement, academic achievement, character and leadership,” said Fred McCarter, Executive Director of DCF. “They were selected from among a competitive group of applicants for this high honor and our community should be very proud of these two Lilly Scholarship recipients, and the other four finalists.”

Stenger of Jackson Township is the son of Jeremy and Maureen Stenger. He plans to major in Agriculture Economics at Purdue University. Stenger had told his school counselor that his goal was to win the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship so college costs wouldn’t be a burden for his family.

“I’m shocked,” said Stenger. “There are so many amazing kids in this school and the county and I’m grateful to have been chosen. I’m honored. This is great!”

At East Central, Stenger has been active in many clubs and groups: Student Council, FFA, IHSAA Student Advisory Committee, Dearborn County 4-H, Trojan Young Life, Dearborn County CASA, Student Athlete Leadership Team, Dearborn County Farm Bureau, National Honor Society, Prom Committee, Future Christian Athletes, and 4 The Kids Committee. He also participated in wrestling and track and field and was a standout in both sports. Stenger is the Senior Student Body President. He also completed a significant number of volunteer service hours and found time to work in the summertime and during the school year.

Sirk of Aurora is the son of Amanda McCartney and Adam Sirk. He plans to attend the University of Notre Dame or Indiana University to study Political Science/Pre-Law. Sirk said he’s been nervous the last couple of weeks waiting to hear whether he was a Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipient.

“I’m really excited,” he said. “This is a great opportunity and I’m so very thankful. Going through this process taught me so much. I learned about perseverance and to trust myself to just be myself.”

At Lawrenceburg High School (LHS), Sirk was active in many clubs and groups: Student Council, Hope Squad, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Key Club, Breakfast Club, Indiana Association of Student Councils Executive Committee (State President Junior Year), National Honor Society and Spanish National Honor Society. He participated in the D.I.C.E. Challenge, an entrepreneurial contest (finished second place at regionals). Sirk also completed a significant number of volunteer service hours and worked both in the summertime and during school.

DCF administers the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program (LECSP) in Dearborn County. A five-member scholarship committee and the DCF staff annually review each application during Phase I of the scholarship process. During Phase I, committee members assign scores to each blinded application based on an essay written to address a specific question. DCF assigns additional scores based on financial need, cumulative academic scores, and number of family dependents.

Based on the highest total scores during Phase I of the process, six Lilly finalists are selected to move on to Phase II of the selection process. In October, the finalists complete Phase II, which consists of a personal interview, including a PowerPoint presentation to the scholarship committee and writing an impromptu essay on a specific topic. The scholarship committee then submits the top-scoring applicants to the DCF Board for approval before sending the nominations to the statewide administrator for LECSP, Independent Colleges of Indiana, for the selection of scholarship recipients.

Lilly Endowment Inc. created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1997-1998 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling more than $505 million. More than 5,400 Indiana students have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship since the program’s inception. 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.

OTHER FOUR LILLY FINALISTS RECEIVE DCF SCHOLARSHIP

The four remaining LECSP finalists are recognized as 2026 Dearborn Community Foundation Scholarship recipients. Each student receives a $1,000 scholarship paid directly to the student’s school. The scholarship is renewable for up to four years of secondary education at the college or university of the student’s choice. The Foundation is pleased to award the 2026 DCF scholarships to:

Jessica Wullenweber, South Dearborn High School; Carson Roth, East Central High School; Laura Dennis, Oldenburg Academy-South Dearborn School Corporation Area; and Mia Thompson, Lawrenceburg High School.