Tilden
Educator scholarship applications open
INDIANAPOLIS — The Indiana Commission for Higher Education is accepting applications for the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship, which provides up to $40,000 of financial aid to aspiring teachers.
Students in high school and college who are planning to teach in Indiana for at least five years can receive up to $10,000 per year of college (up to $40,000 total) from the scholarship. Students must apply by Jan. 31, 2025, at ScholarTrack.IN.gov.
To qualify for the scholarship, students must meet one of the following academic requirements:
- Rank in the top 20% of their high school graduating class OR
- Have a top 20th percentile score on the ACT (25) or SAT (1110) OR
- Have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale
Entering its ninth year, the Next Generation Hoosier Educators Scholarship is building Indiana’s teacher pipeline. Nearly 90 percent of the scholarship recipients from the inaugural cohort are actively teaching in Hoosier classrooms or continuing their education beyond a bachelor’s degree. Additionally, a record-breaking 945 students applied for the scholarship last year, a 58 percentage point increase over the previous year.
To continue earning the scholarship while in college, students must annually file the free application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), earn at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and complete at least 30 credit hours. Additionally, current college students who apply must be able to use the scholarship for at least two full academic years.
The Commission will notify applicants of their scholarship status via email in April 2025. For questions email: [email protected].
Association ceremony to be Nov 1
The Bull Dog Alumni Association has rescheduled its Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and reception to Friday, Nov. 1 prior to the Columbus North High School football game.
Maureen Grady, Class of 1957, and John Burnett, Class of 1974, are the honorees for the Bull Dog Alumni Association’s 10th Hall of Fame induction ceremony this year.
Grady, a nun, spent 20 years in middle-eastern war zones as chief operating officer for Catholic Near East Welfare helping restore social services and infrastructure in Lebanon and Syria. During her career she’s also spent time providing emergency and relief services for war victims in Thailand and the Philippines.
She earned a nursing diploma at Holy Cross School of Nursing and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Loyola University. She has an M.A. in pastoral care and counseling and doctor of ministry at Christian Theology Seminary in Indianapolis. She also was a visiting professor in Saint Mary’s College at Notre Dame, specializing in teaching therapeutic communication from 2011 to 2023.
Burnett serves as CEO Emeritus of the Community Education Coalition (CEC) and is co-founder of CEC’s CivicLab.
Burnett is a member of the dean’s council at the IU School of Art, Architecture and Design and the Columbus Capital Foundation, and has received various individual honors including the IU President’s Medal of Excellence, IU’s Bicentennial Medal and the school’s Partner in Philanthropy Keystone Award.
To be eligible for induction, one must have attended Columbus North (or before 1973, Columbus High School) and have been graduates for a minimum of 20 years at the time of their nomination. Grady and Burnett were nominated by peers, community residents, Columbus North faculty and their
Students receive leadership scholarships
Students from Bartholomew County high schools took part in Bartholomew County Youth Leadership Day Monday at The Commons, where $15,000 in scholarships were awarded.
Scholarships were awarded in student performance areas of essay writing, resume development and a professional interview. Youth Leadership Bartholomew County winners Amelia Corney and Melissa Tilden of Columbus North High School were each awarded a $3,000 scholarship for earning the highest point totals in all three categories.
All 131 youth leaders were presented certificates of completion and a cookie designed by last year’s youth leader, Caylynn Pruitt of Cay Pops.
The top 10 students in each category each earned a $300 scholarship. Essays, resumes and interviews were evaluated by Ivy Tech Community College English professors.
The top 10 essay winners are:
- Natalie Lewis – Columbus Signature Academy
- Nicolas Bowers – Columbus North High School
- Melody Wu – Columbus North High School
- Kate Franklin – Columbus North High School
- Roma Sriram – Columbus North High School
- Grace Huang – Columbus North High School
- Mila Esposito – Columbus North High School
- Tyler Ernst – Columbus East High School
- Emilie Beaver – Columbus North High School
- Atharv Pawar – Columbus North High School
The top 10 resume winners are:
- Parth Shah – Columbus North
- Atharv Pawar – Columbus North High School
- Grace Huang – Columbus North High School
- Anushka Damle – Columbus North High School
- Srilakshmi Srivathsan – Columbus North High School
- Grace LaSell – Columbus North High School
- Sara Hobbeheydar – Columbus North High School
- Macy Eaton – Columbus North High School
- Ashely Perez – Columbus North High School
- Steven Sun – Columbus North High School
The top 10 interview winners are:
- Austin Menefee- Columbus East High School
- Grace LaSell — Columbus North High School
- Eliza Creasy — Columbus East High School
- Keana Wooten – Columbus East High School
- Nicolas Bowers – Columbus North High School
- Kyleigh Wolf – Columbus North High School
- Rithiik Senthil Murugan – Columbus North High School
- Kylee Dieter – Columbus North High School
- Roma Sriram – Columbus North High School
- Atharv Pawar – Columbus North High School
