East Central, Lawrenceburg Students Named Lilly Scholarship Recipients in Dearborn Co.

Four finalists received $1,000 scholarships.

Anna Black and Nathan Parker. Photos provided.

(Dearborn County, Ind.) - Two Dearborn County high school seniors learned today that they are the 2025 recipients of a prestigious Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship. The Dearborn Community Foundation (DCF) staff made surprise visits today to award the full-tuition scholarships to East Central High School’s Annabelle Black and Lawrenceburg High School’s Nathan Parker.

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.

“Annabelle and Nathan 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 Annabelle, Nathan, and the other four finalists.”

Black of Miller Township is the daughter of Kelly and B.J. Black. She plans to study Optometry at Hanover College. She certainly was shocked and excited to learn she is a Lilly Scholar. “I’m appreciative and grateful,” she said. “… I’m excited for the future.”

At East Central, Black has been active in many clubs and groups: National Honor Society (Indiana Rising Star Award); Trojan Exchange; Eco Club; and AOK Club. She also participated in soccer, basketball and softball. She also completed a significant number of volunteer service hours.

Parker of Lawrenceburg is the son of Amanda and Brandon Parker. He plans to study Computer Science/Computer Software Engineering. He’s undecided, but leaning toward attending Indiana University, Bloomington.

“I don’t have any words,” Parker said upon learning he was a 2025 Lilly Scholar. “It’s life changing. It’s a blessing and something I’ve been striving toward a lot.”

At Lawrenceburg High School (LHS), Parker participated in the Hope Squad throughout high school and completed a significant number of community service hours: providing Chromebook onboarding and repair, IT helpdesk support for both students and staff; and working as a teacher’s assistant, helping both students and staff with technological issues/assignments. He also found the time to hold down a job during the school year.

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.

(Left to right): Isabel Pearson, Sophie Ferguson, Trinity Taylor, and Emily Klem. Photos provided.

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.

The four remaining LECSP finalists are recognized as 2025 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 2025 DCF scholarships to:

Emily Klem, East Central High School; Isabel Pearson, South Dearborn High School (SDHS); Sophie Ferguson, SDHS; and Trinity Taylor, LHS.