(Rising Sun, Ind.) – Matthew Jacob Uhlmansiek, member of the 2015 graduating class of Rising Sun High School, has been named the recipient of a four year, full-tuition scholarship as the Ohio County Community Foundation 2015 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar. Jake is the son of Maury and Kaye Uhlmansiek.

Jake will receive full tuition to the Indiana College or university of his choice and a $900 yearly stipend for required books and equipment. Jake is ranked first in his graduating class and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Jake is very active in athletics. He has been a member of the Soccer, Basketball and Baseball teams all four years of high school. He also participated in track during his Junior and Senior year. Jake has been named All Conference in soccer and track and All Sectional in basketball. He has also been named Offensive MVP and Mental Attitude Award winner in soccer. Recently, Jake received the
Academic All State Honorable mention for Basketball.

For the past three years, Jake has worked during the summer as a lifeguard at the Rising Sun Pool. His volunteer activities include the Navy Bean Fall Festival, Dearborn/Ohio County Relay for Life, Ohio County Rescue Unit Chicken Barbeque and the Rising Sun Volunteer Fire Department. Jake is also a member of Spanish Club, Prom Committee, Academic Team and his Church youth group.

Jake plans to attend Purdue University and pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Food Science. Jake stated, “I was surprised and excited when I learned I was the 2015 recipient of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Ohio County. I would like to thank the Ohio County Community Foundation and the Lilly Endowment for awarding me the scholarship.”

The Ohio County Community Foundation (OCCF) is proud to administer the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for Ohio County. This past fall, eighteen scholarship applications were submitted from the senior class of Rising Sun High School. The scholarship selection includes three processes: the application, a one page essay and a personal interview. The applications were reviewed and scored by members of the OCCF Scholarship Selection Committee, comprised of Ohio County residents with an interest in education and who serve in a leadership capacity within the community. The scores are based on the scholarship criteria which include academics, financial need, and extra-curricular activities, sports activities and employment; a one page written essay; and the applicant’s college preparation which includes the applicant’s overall potential to succeed in college. Five finalists were selected based on their application score and were interviewed individually by members of the selection committee. After the interview process, the OCCF scholarship selection committee selected one finalist and one alternate and forwarded these nominees to the Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI). The finalists’ applications were submitted to the Independent Colleges of Indiana, Inc. (ICI) for final selection.

ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 31 regionally accredited degree granting, nonprofit, private colleges and universities in the state.

“The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship program is the result of a state wide Lilly Endowment initiative to help Hoosier students reach higher levels of education”, stated Stephanie Scott, OCCF Program Coordinator. “Indiana ranks among the lowest states in percentage of residents over the age of 25 with a bachelor’s degree. There were 142 scholarships awarded this year statewide”, stated Scott.

The Ohio County Community Foundation Staff, Board of Directors and Scholarship Selection Committee would like to congratulate Jake Uhlmansiek for being named the 2015 Ohio County Lilly Endowment Community Scholar.

The Ohio County Community Foundation is located at 330 Industrial Access Drive, Rising Sun. For information concerning the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship or other scholarships administered by the Ohio County Community Foundation, please call 812-438-9401.