By Herald Staff

JASPER — Jasper High School senior Bennett Schmitt has been awarded a four-year, full-tuition scholarship and named the 2021 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar of Dubois County.

Bennett will receive full tuition and required fees to an accredited public or private nonprofit college or university in Indiana of his choice and a $900 yearly stipend for required books and equipment.

Bennett plans to attend Indiana University in the fall to study chemistry and Spanish and aspires to be a research scientist. He is the son of Daryl and Patricia Schmitt of Jasper.

Bennett was chosen out of an applicant pool of 46 candidates from all four high schools in Dubois County.

The Community Foundation Scholarship Oversight Committee submitted the finalists to Independent Colleges of Indiana Inc., the statewide scholarship administrator for the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program. Final selection of the recipient was made and released to the Dubois County Community Foundation. ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 30 regionally accredited degree granting, nonprofit, private colleges and universities in the state.

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.

Since the program’s inception in 1998, Lilly Endowment has awarded over $424 million to 4,912 scholars for tuition and book stipend to Indiana students.