SHS senior named Lilly Endowment Community Scholar, receives full-tuition college scholarship

SHS senior named Lilly Endowment Community Scholar, receives full-tuition college scholarship
Posted on 12/16/2016

All the years of hard work and dedication have paid off for Scottsburg High School senior Katie Hunger as she was named the Scott County Community Foundation 2017 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar.

“I’m thankful to the Foundation for this opportunity,” Hunger said. “I’ve been telling myself since August I wouldn’t get it. [Winning] didn’t seem real.”

Since Kindergarten, Hunger has taken her academics seriously. Her parents instilled in her the value of hard work from the beginning, and they modeled it to her through their dedication to providing for their children.

“We’ve always been taught if you work hard, things will work out if God intended them,” Hunger said. “My parents have worked very hard to provide for me and my brother.”

Each night, Hunger spends her hours after school at the dance studio, where she teaches beginner tap to elementary school students. She has been dancing since she was nearly 3-years-old. After about 15 years of dance, Hunger uses her time dancing as a stress reliever. She considers the studio at Diamond Dance Center to be her second home.

“My mom found me dancing in front of the stove. She signed me up after that,” Hunger said. “I’ve always felt at home [at the dance studio]. When I get stressed, I want to go to dance. It’s relaxing for me.”

When Hunger gets home from working with children and dancing for herself, she starts on her homework. She focuses on her studies for about four hours before she drifts off to sleep. She does all of this while maintaining a 4.0 grade-point-average, working part-time at Ponderosa, being a member of Sunshine and the SHS Student Council, and being the co-editor of the SHS student newspaper.

Through her educational career at Scott County School District 2, Hunger discovered a passion for reading and for editing writing assignments. She would even edit the papers her older brother, AJ, would write for his classes. Now, two years after her brother graduated from SHS, Hunger edits the work of other students who write stories for the student newspaper.

“I’ve always loved to read,” Hunger said. “I love working with content and editing for grammatical errors. I enjoy that.”

Because it brings her joy, Hunger hopes to become an editor at a publishing house when she graduates college. With the Lilly Scholarship, Hunger will be able to find the best program in Indiana to help her achieve her dreams.

“I want to go to a private, liberal arts college because I wanted a well-rounded education, and I know it comes with a huge price tag,” Hunger said. “It is not easy for any family to pay for it. All my hard work has allowed me to pay for this.”

While Hunger has been accepted to several colleges, she is hoping to explore some other options, such as DePauw University, Butler University, and the University of Notre Dame. With the Lilly, Hunger will receive a full-tuition scholarship to an Indiana college of her choosing and a yearly stipend for required books and equipment. The scholarship does not cover room and board or travel expenses.

“Why not look at it?” Hunger said.

At Scott County School District 2, the Hunger’s story is our story. Your story matters. You matter.