South Newton Senior Jaimie Diedam has been selected as the 2019 Newton County Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipient.

Diedam plans to go to college study to be a school counselor. She currently serves as Vice President of the National Honor Society, secretary of student council, and class officer.

Diedam is actively involved in FFA and volunteer activities in the community. She is also a team captain on the Lady Rebels’ varsity basketball and softball teams. Jaimie is the daughter of James and Debra Diedam.

“When a young person envisions themselves being awarded the ‘Lilly Scholarship’ their dreams start to come to life and the doors that can open for that student seem close enough to open,” said South Newton High School counselor Laura Robbins. “Well this year those doors will open for Jaimie Diedam. This young woman has worked tremendously hard in the classroom, on the field, court, community and in herself to be awarded this tremendous honor. It is a fantastic accomplishment and all of us at South Newton are incredibly proud of Jaimie and all her efforts and what she has given back to this school. It wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t mention that South Newton was also awarded the first and second alternates for the Lilly Scholarship. Kimberly Hall is the first alternate and Mignely Nunez is the second alternate. It’s hard to truly put into words the pride one has in achieving this accomplishment and the pride we feel as a school is irreplaceable.”

Kimberly Hall is the daughter of Gregory and Joyce Hall. She plans study Athletic Training/Pre-Med in college. She is the President of National Honor Society and student council. She was a team cpatain for the varsity volleyball team, a member of the varsity softball team, actively involved in FFA and 4-H (10-year member). Kimberly is also an active volunteer for school and community events.

Mignely Nunez is the daughter of Salvador and Herminda Nunez. She plans to study Pre-Law at Indiana University. Mignely is a member of National Honor Society, involved in the school’s drama department, and Editor-in-Chief of the Yearbook. She is a varsity member of the golf and softball teams, and actively involved in community volunteer activities. Mignely was also a Rotary Youth Leadership Award recipient.

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program was created by the Indianapolis-based Lilly Endowment, Inc. to 1) 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. Lilly Endowment is confident that leaders of Indiana’s communities — large and small, rural and urban — can rally their fellow residents around efforts to increase the level of educational attainment in our state.

Begun in 1998, the program offers four-year, full-tuition scholarships to Indiana students who intend to work toward a baccalaureate degree at any accredited public or private nonprofit college or university in Indiana. The scholarship also provides $900 per year for required books and equipment.

  • Number of scholarships provided to date: over 4,600
  • Total provided by the Lilly Endowment for tuition and book stipend to date: over $392M
  • Total number of scholarships to be awarded in 2018-2019: 143

The program is administered statewide by Independent Colleges of Indiana and locally by the community foundations in each of Indiana’s 92 counties. Persons interested in information about the program should first contact their local community foundation. High school guidance counselors generally can also provide information.

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship has an extensive application process in Jasper/Newton Counties. Students complete an initial online application and essay. This pool of applicants is then narrowed down by the local Lilly Committee to the finalists who are invited to the interview step of the process. Much like a job interview, students are asked questions about their personal and professional goals, as well as, some of the major influences in their lives. It is an intense process but well worth the work. Just completing the application and confidently accomplishing the interview provides a wealth of experience that will serve these students in many areas of their lives. Nominees are then forwarded to ICI for final selection of the recipient.

The Jasper Newton Foundation is very grateful to Lilly Endowment for the gift of this opportunity to raise the level of education in the state of Indiana. Our Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Committee looks forward to this process each year. Meet this year’s finalists -these are some of the finest students in the area. Congratulations to all!

“Sourced from the Newton County Enterprise December 2018”



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