SHS senior Elias Slaven bestowed 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship

Shelbyville High School senior Elias Slaven is the 2025 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipient for Shelby County.

The scholarship provides Slaven with full tuition, required fees and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and required equipment for eight semesters of undergraduate study at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university.

Slaven is the son of Chadwick and Cynthia Slaven.

Slaven intends to pursue a career in geology. He is leaning toward attending Purdue University but a full-ride offer to any Indiana school presents other options.

“I was looking at a couple of schools but Purdue was my favorite out of all of them,” said Slaven Monday morning after being surprised with the scholarship announcement in the Golden Bear Room at Shelbyville High School. “When I toured it, it really resonated with me. I loved the program. I spoke to the professors. They really seemed passionate about what they were doing.”

At the time of his application, Slaven was ranked fourth in his graduating class with a 4.34 grade point average. He is on the executive board of National Honor Society and has been active in Earth Club, Future Farmers of America, Pickleball Club and is a member of the Golden Bears soccer and track and field programs.

Shelbyville senior Elias Slaven has not yet made his college choice but he now has a full ride academic scholarship to help him make that decision.

Slaven has volunteered more than 200 hours at the Indianapolis Zoo and participated in various local community service projects, including preparing snack bags for at-risk youth and participants of Blue River Soccer Association. He has been recognized for his academic excellence in science and social studies and was accepted into the prestigious United States Naval Academy Summer STEM program.

“Beyond the classroom, this gentleman is a leader in the school and community. He is respected among his peers and viewed as a mentor and role model,” said Shelbyville High School Language Arts teacher Douglas Uehling in a media release. “He has grown in numerous volunteer opportunities, and he is unafraid of undertaking challenges that may reside outside of his comfort zone. In this regard, I truly commend him. He understands the importance of learning and growing as an individual, and he readily pursues such opportunities.

“Moreover, he is quick to act and help others, modeling the true meaning of altruism. As the adviser to our chapter of National Honor Society, I am proud to count this young man a representative of our organization.”

Shelbyville senior Elias Slaven is overcome with emotion after realizing he was the 2025 Lilly Endowment scholarship winner.

There were 46 applicants for the 2025 scholarship. Slaven was one of six finalists selected to be interviewed for the award.

Also making the final cut were Shelbyville seniors Karina Calderon, Addison Hartman and Emory Higgins, Morristown High School senior Jacob Hawk and Triton Central High School senior Tucker Hutchinson. Each will receive a four-year renewable scholarship from one of 112 scholarship funds administered by Blue River Community Foundation.

The financial ramifications of receiving a full-ride scholarship is not lost on Slaven.

Elias Slaven talks to his father, Chadwick, on the phone Monday morning to inform him of receiving the Lilly Endowment scholarship.

“This is really great. I have a little sister who will be going to college in a couple years and my dad switched jobs recently and is making a little less than what he was before so this is going to be major for helping my family pay for my schooling, and more importantly, for my sister’s in the future,” he said.

Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI) oversees the administration of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship (LECS) and provides final review and selection of recipients. ICI is a nonprofit corporation that represents 29 regionally accredited degree granting, nonprofit, private colleges and universities in Indiana.

Lilly Endowment Inc. created the LECS Program for the 1997-98 school year and has supported the program every year since with tuition grants totaling in excess of $490 million. More than 5,300 Indiana students, including 44 from Shelby County, have received the LECS since the program’s inception.

Southwestern High School’s Ellie Gosser was the 2024 recipient from Shelby County. Slaven is the third Golden Bear to receive the award in the last four years. Beau Kenkel was the 2023 recipient. Braydon Povinelli earned it in 2022.

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