Plymouth High School Senior Hugh Smith was surprised with a special announcement last Monday after being selected as the recipient of the 2020 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.
As Marshall County’s Lilly Scholar, Smith will receive full tuition to the Indiana college or university of his choice and the scholarship also covers required fees and up to $900 per year for books and required equipment.
According to Plymouth Schools Marketing Director Judi Lykowski and student writers who reflected on the announcement, Smith was escorted down to the staff break room by Weidner School of Inquiry at PHS Director Jennifer Felke between second and third hours last Monday.
Photo Source: PHS Senior Hannah Talaga
Smith was quoted, saying that he assumed Mrs. Felke wanted to ask him about how the college application process was going or something along those lines. He said he was not expecting to find out about the Lilly Scholarship right then and there and it all came as a surprise to him.
When the door opened, Smith was greeted by his parents, Dr. Timothy and Sarah Smith, as well as school administrators and staff along with employees of the Marshall County Community Foundation.
The MCCF is the local entity that plays a role in the scholarship process. The scholarship itself is administered by the Independent Colleges of Indiana.
Check out the following link to view the surprise announcement captured by PHS junior Xandra Kurtz .
Smith is ranked #1 out of 231 PHS Seniors and currently holds a GPA of 4.109. He shared that he is currently exploring his options but is considering attending Notre Dame in the fall to study in a STEM-related field or possibly pre-medicine.
He thanked the Marshall County Community Foundation and the Lilly Endowment for the opportunity to receive the scholarship and said he couldn’t put into words the gratefulness he has for being selected.
If Smith chooses to attend a college or university out-of-state or for any other reason declines the scholarship, it will be awarded to the student who was chosen at the runner up, PHS Senior Fernanda Cortes.
Cortes is ranked 2nd in the PHS class of 2020 and currently holds a GPA of 4.088. She is planning to attend either Indiana University Bloomington or Saint Mary’s College and wants to major in accounting and minor in Spanish.
She was among the individuals who surprised Smith last Monday and said she was excited to be able to congratulate him.
Cortes also said she was honored to be selected as the runner-up and noted that she is grateful to the Community Foundation for all they do in the Plymouth Community.
Click the following link to learn more about the Marshall County Community Foundation’s role in the selection process.
