Scott County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship, Isabella “Bella” Cox of Scottsburg High School. Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are known for their community involvement, academic achievement, character and leadership. She joins 43 other Lilly Scholar recipients from Scott County since 1998.
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 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 LSN are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) and Indiana Humanities.
Bella is the daughter of Jason and Kimberly Cox of Scottsburg. She plays in the marching band, is active in Key Club where she serves as President, is involved with the school’s theater program, and is a member of Educators Rising. She is involved with her church’s youth group, 4-H, and serves as junior faculty at Wonder Valley Church Camp. She works at Warrior’s Den. Bella is undecided, but considering attending Indiana University in Bloomington to major in elementary education.
“My dream has always been to teach elementary school second grade at Lexington Elementary and the Lilly Endowment Scholarship has now made this possible,” said Bella. “I can’t wait to give the best quality education to my future students just as my teachers have done for me. There are not enough kind words I could say about the scholarship committee at the Community Foundation and the joy and positivity that they filled the room with. I am so blessed to have been chosen for this scholarship and my appreciation is endless. Thank you to everyone around me for always assisting in my efforts and for giving me the ability to inspire the next generation of Scott County’s students.”
“On behalf of the Community Foundation’s Scholarship Committee and Board of Directors, we are pleased to announce Bella Cox as the recipient of the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship,” said Scholarship Committee Chair Tinisha Bowles-Densford. “All students who applied and those who were named as finalists this year were exceptional. We congratulate Bella for being named as 2025 Lilly Scholar, and we are confident that she will be an outstanding representative of our community!”
Students were judged based on community involvement, extra-curricular activities, work activities, academics, financial considerations, honors and awards, letters of recommendation and three essays. Eight students advanced to the interview portion as finalists. After the scholarship committee narrowed the field, nominees were submitted to ICI for the selection of the Scott County recipient. ICI is the statewide administrator of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, which approves the final selection of scholarship recipients.
Lilly Endowment created the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program for the 1997-1998 school year. Since then, grant funding in excess of $490 million has supported more than 5,300 Indiana students who have received the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship through the program. The primary purposes of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program are to help raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana; to increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations can play in their communities; and 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 awarding its first community grants totaling $50,000 in 1997, the Scott County Community Foundation has been Scott County’s partner for positive change. Scholarships and grants totaling more than $6.4 million have made it possible for local students to attend college and for the diverse needs of our neighbors to be served. In addition, almost $14 million has been funneled to Scott County through the Community Foundation through the generosity of Lilly Endowment Inc.
