Lilly scholarship finalists named

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HANCOCK COUNTY — They’re all nearing the ends of their high school careers with goals for their futures, whether in health care, engineering, education or science.

And two of them will soon take a big step toward accomplishing their goals after being offered a full-ride college scholarship.

The county’s eight 2021 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship finalists excel academically and boast long lists of community service and extracurricular activities. Two graduating students from each of the county’s public high schools are vying for the prestigious four-year tuition award.

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To be eligible to apply for the scholarship in Hancock County, students must be county residents, attend one of the county’s four public high schools, be ranked in the academic top 15% of their graduating class, and plan to pursue a baccalaureate course of study, to be completed in four years, at any accredited Indiana public or private college or university. The Hancock County Community Foundation administers the scholarship in the county.

Lilly Endowment awards 143 scholarships annually across the state.

This year’s Hancock County finalists are Kaitlyn Arkenau and Kayden Bensheimer of Mt. Vernon High School; Gage Guenin and Kambell Trapp of Greenfield-Central High School; Lainie Lawrence and Isabella Witte of Eastern Hancock High School; and Kendall Mann and Natalee Russell of New Palestine High School.

Tessa Freeman of Mt. Vernon High School and Ellie Griesmeyer of Eastern Hancock High School won the scholarships in 2019.

Here are profiles of each of the Hancock County finalists:

Kaitlyn Arkenau

Kaitlyn Arkenau, of Mt. Vernon High School and daughter of Ed and Krysia Arkenau, was inspired at an early age by her mother, who provided free physical therapy care to a friend dying from cancer.

“Although I was young at the time, the relationship my mom and I formed with this patient is one that I will never forget and it is truly what sparked my interest in physical therapy,” she said. “I want to spend the rest of my life making a difference in the lives of others and showing them hope and progress in a time of hardship.”

Kaitlyn has volunteered as a physical therapy aide at Westminster Village North in Indianapolis for the past few years, as well as in the nursery at her church, Realife. She’s also taken a Safe Sitter course and learned CPR to gain skills that help her provide care for children of front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At Mt. Vernon, Kaitlyn has been a class officer for three years, participated in theater for four years, volunteered at a coffee bar in the cafeteria before school and served on the prom committee. She’s been involved in Campus Life and is a two-year member of the National Honor Society. Kaitlyn has also participated in dance classes and helped with the tumbler class at her dance school while being involved in her youth group, AfriCAN and Marauder Mentors.

“If I had the time, talent, and treasures to enact a positive change in Hancock County, I would establish a Christ-centered organization open to pre-K-12 students who need a safe place to go after school,” she said. “Here they would be provided with a meal, tutoring, counseling, activities, mentors and more to equip them with the resources they need to stay on track throughout school and adult life.”

Kayden Bensheimer

Kayden Bensheimer, also of Mt. Vernon and son of Kurt and Amy Bensheimer of Fortville, began dreaming of becoming an engineer at a young age while playing with LEGO blocks.

“I knew that I wanted to do a job that involved physics,” said Kayden, who hopes to attend Purdue University and become a mechanical engineer. “I have always been a kid that has learned in a hands-on, visual fashion, as doing projects and drawing out things always aided my learning process.”

Kayden has served on the Y-GIVE Youth Philanthropy Board for four years. The board is part of the county community foundation and consists of four students from each of the county’s public high schools. Members learn about and participate in local philanthropy efforts.

He has also participated in the Drug Abuse Resistance Education, or D.A.R.E., program; a church trunk-or-treat service activity that helped the Psi Iota Xi Sorority with its annual cheeseball fundraiser; and worked to help clean up Fortville Memorial Park. Kayden has been active in the National Honor Society, AfriCAN, Empowering Marauder Mentors, football and wrestling as well.

“If I had the time, talent, and treasures to enact a positive change in Hancock County, I would ensure that each and every child in the county was given the tools to learn and the ability to succeed by investing in the education of our county’s youth through the funding of reading programs and libraries, the construction of and funding of early-learning institutions and schools, and the expansion of and funding of special education services,” he said.

Gage Guenin

Gage Guenin, of Greenfield-Central High School and son of Blaine and stepson of Ashleigh Guenin of Greenfield, has dreams of becoming an anesthesiologist to help restore people’s lives so that they can go out and benefit the world.

“Just last year, one of my good friends and teammates, a man I truly looked up to, had to undergo open heart surgery to fix an artery that was not functioning properly,” he said. “In that moment, where my friend’s life could only be saved by a surgeon at Riley Children’s Hospital, I realized how valuable being able to keep someone on this earth was, so that they may serve and lead.”

Gage plans to attend Anderson University.

He has volunteered at the Hope House Thrift Store periodically since he was 8 and regularly for the past three years. Gage has also served at the Kenneth Butler Memorial Soup Kitchen. As an officer of Interact Club and Student Leadership Academy, he helped lead and participated in various fundraisers for local nonprofits. Other activities include track, cross country, Cougars and Cubs, National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, Biomedical Council, choir and Key Club.

“If I had the resources and social outreach necessary, I would create a volunteer outreach program focused on children in eighth grade and under to promote the values and benefits of serving one’s community with volunteered time,” he said. “I was blessed as a kid; I grew up in a household where my parents instilled the value of service in me from day one. I also have a grandmother I am extremely close to who serves in the community almost every day, providing an example of what a volunteer and charitable community member can and should be.”

Lainie Lawrence

Lainie Lawrence, of Eastern Hancock High School and daughter of Jonathon and Bobbie Lawrence of Greenfield, wants to to pursue a career in the chemical or medical sciences and study at Rose Hulman Institute of Technology.

“The work of chemical equations and memorizing polyatomic ions has always come easy for me, and I have always found it to be loads of fun,” she said. “I am a chemistry nerd through and through! I also want to give my life to helping others, and I think these two areas of work would combine my passions of science and helping others.”

Lainie has been a part of Hancock County Junior Leaders since the seventh grade and has served in its leadership for the past five years, including as president this year. She has completed many community service projects through the organization, including creating tie blankets and collecting socks for Hope House along with judging projects and working a food booth at the county fair. Each leader has to sign up for three shifts to fulfill a project’s requirements, but Lainie usually does 15 to 20 shifts per year, explaining she loves giving back to the community.

She is also involved in VOICE, a youth empowerment group dedicated to prevention of tobacco and vaping use in teens. Lainie volunteers at the Hancock County Food Pantry as well, most recently by loading boxes in cars for the drive-thru pantry and transporting meals for the Feast of Plenty.

Other activities include serving in Kindergarten 101, 4-H Camp and Royal Leadership Academy and Once Upon a Prom. Student council, 4-H, EH Academic Teams, tennis, National Honor Society, drama are among her activities as well, as has serving as a class officer for three years.

“The positive change that I would enact into Hancock County would be to update and modernize our county fairgrounds,” she said. “This positive change would also benefit our county in general. If our fairgrounds were to look more professional, it could be rented out for conventions, large livestock shows, craft fairs, expos, parties and more!”

Kendall Mann

Kendall Mann, of New Palestine High School and daughter of Jeff and Janet Mann of New Palestine, plans to pursue a career in education because she loves kids.

“Throughout my high school career, I have dedicated myself to helping with kids’ events and volunteering in any way I can,” said Kendall, who wants to major in education at Butler University. “Children are the future. Teachers prepare students to be successful. I have had many amazing teachers throughout my educational career.”

Most of Kendall’s volunteer work has involved working with children. She has volunteered at the Indianapolis Zoo with its summer kids’ camp as well as holiday events such as ZooBoo and Christmas at the Zoo.

“I feel happiest when I have helped someone, like making a camper smile even though that camper might be missing a mom or dad at work,” she said.

She also volunteers with the Jubliate Choir, a special-needs part of the Indianapolis Children’s Choir, through which she helps a young blind girl.

“My job is to help her organize her music in a way that makes it easier for her to learn since she can’t read sheet music,” Kendall said. “My work involves helping her with activities that include touching items that resemble notes and using verbal directions. It is special to work with her and see how music impacts her life.”

Kendall volunteers for the FUSE Adaptive Swim program, which teaches students with special needs how to swim. Other activities include student council, Random Acts of Kindness Project, Disability Awareness Project and Brookville Road Youth Leadership Team. She’s participated in cross country, track, swimming, Unified Track, Science National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, National Honor Society and Indianapolis Children’s Choir.

Natalee Russell

Natalee Russell, of New Palestine High School and daughter of Jeffery Russell and Laura Miller, both of New Palestine, intends to pursue a career in physical therapy and wants to attend Indiana Wesleyan University.

“I love the idea of being able to leave someone better than when they came into my life,” she said.

For four years, Natalee has been involved in Best Buddies, an international nonprofit organization that creates opportunities for one-to-one friendship, integrated employment, leadership development, and inclusive living for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. She’s also served in the organization’s leadership, through which she’s attended three leadership conferences.

Her community service background includes National Honor Society, Student Council, Key Club, Science National Honor Society, Spanish National Honor Society, Ball Barn workouts, Friends of the Library and Brookville Road Community Church. She has been involved in show choir, Quiz Bowl, softball and tennis as well.

“If I had endless amounts of time, talent, and treasures I would use them to wage a war in Hancock County against teen suicide,” she said. “The tragic act of taking one’s life is sadly a reality for teenagers — not just for those who commit it, but for those who are left behind.”

Kambell Trapp

Kambell Trapp, of Greenfield-Central High School and daughter of Chad and Lori Trapp of Greenfield, has wanted to be a doctor ever since she was a little kid.

“Most girls my age would ask for Barbie dolls, but I would ask for pretend medical equipment,” said Kambell, who wants to attend the University of Notre Dame.

Her volunteer efforts include the Hancock County Food Pantry, J.B. Stephens Elementary School library and Kids Soccer Camp. She has engaged in community service through Student Leadership Academy, Interact Club and Spanish Honor Society. Kambell has also been a member of National Honor Society, Class Council, student council, Junior Prom Committee and Best Buddies.

“If I had the time, talent, and treasures to enact a positive change in Hancock County, I would start by reducing the mental health cases,” she said. “I want to open multiple mental health prevention buildings all around Hancock County and hire people to go to schools and help students with early detection, so they can go get help early on. Mental health needs a bigger spotlight, more honesty about the topic, and more people to feel unashamed to start a conversation about how it affects people.”

Isabella Witte

Isabella Witte, of Eastern Hancock High School and daughter of Mike and Jana Witte of Wilkinson, intends to become a clinical nurse specialist and wants to attend Purdue University.

“I am choosing to become a nurse because I want to make a difference in the lives of people through their health,” she said. “Health is extremely personal and essential. Being a nurse would allow me to help people when they are at their lowest and make them feel comforted and safe. Reading about the bravery of nurses during the pandemic has only made me believe more in this profession.”

Isabella has been involved with the Lisa Muegge Feast of Plenty for many years with her 4-H club. For the past three years, however, her involvement has become more personal.

“I knew I wanted to do something that would combine my passion for agriculture and allow me to learn something new,” she said. “I chose to raise turkeys to contribute more to local families in need with the Feast of Plenty. I had never worked with turkeys, but I was excited.”

She started with 13 turkeys in 2018, then grew to 25 in 2019 and 30 in 2020, growing the birds to 45 to 50 pounds before contributing them to the annual community Thanksgiving dinner.

In 2018, Isabella created a program called Inspire Kindness with a goal of allowing students to discover new ways to show kindness through activities and games such as crafts and relays. After starting with kindergarten through sixth grade at Eastern Hancock Elementary School, she expanded the program to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hancock County.

Isabella has also participated in community service projects through her 4-H club and has been involved in FFA, student council, National Honor Society and tennis.

If she had all of the resources she needed to enact a positive change, she would provide a program for each Hancock County high school to help students reach their post-secondary education or workforce goals.

“This program would help students find the right school, job, or program; educate them on ways to help pay for their education; guide them through the application process; and facilitate each student on how to fill out scholarships and other financial aid opportunities,” she said.

How the winners are chosen

Students’ scholarship applications are submitted online and reviewed blindly, without name or contact information, by third-party professional readers represented by experienced out-of-county, community foundation personnel. The third party selects two students from each Hancock County public high school who best meet the scholarship criteria. Community service is the primary criterion for qualification, and financial need is not a consideration.

The eight finalists were interviewed in November by a volunteer committee identified by the Hancock County Community Foundation, all of whom adhere to a strict conflict-of-interest policy. The committee has the difficult task of selecting two students from the pool of finalists and submitting their recommendation to Lilly Endowment for approval.