Carlos Plascencia named Fulton County Community Foundation 2026 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipient

The Fulton County Community Foundation is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2026 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship (LECS) for Fulton County: Carlos Plascencia of Rochester High School.

Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are recognized for their community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership.

“We are extremely excited for Carlos to receive this award. He knows what he wants to accomplish, and we are looking forward to supporting his educational goals,” said Shannon Berger, Scholarship Coordinator of Northern Indiana Community Foundation.

Carlos Plascencia, son of Carlos and Jessica Plascencia, is an involved and well-rounded student whose activities span athletics, leadership, and service. He has been deeply engaged in school extracurriculars, including four years on the soccer team—serving as captain and earning All-TRC Honorable Mention—along with three years of basketball, two years of track and field, participation in National Honor Society, and active leadership in Fellowship of Christian Athletes. His volunteer work reflects a strong commitment to the community, most notably through more than 70 hours at the Fulton County Public Library, which he considers his most meaningful service experience. Additional volunteer efforts include church youth group participation, concessions work, recycling support, and assisting elderly community members with yard care. Carlos also demonstrates a strong work ethic through consistent employment, including working at Kroger, serving as a licensed U.S. Soccer Federation referee for three years, and completing an engineering-focused internship at Modern Materials.

Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides full tuition, required fees, and up to $900 per year for required books and equipment for four years of full-time undergraduate study leading to a baccalaureate degree at any eligible Indiana public or private nonprofit college or university. Scholars also join the Lilly Scholars Network (LSN), which connects them with resources and opportunities to lead on campus and in their communities. Both the scholarship program and LSN are supported by grants from Lilly Endowment to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI).

In nominating Fulton County’s Lilly Endowment Community Scholar, the LECS committee considered community service, school activities, work experience, and more. After narrowing the field of applicants, nominees were submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI), the statewide administrator of the program, for final selection.

We would like to recognize the following students as finalists for this year’s LECS: Grant Clark, Caleb McCuen, Jonas McCuen, Campbell Nellans, and Maci Parker. “The committee had a very difficult decision to make, as every student is truly exceptional. Each finalist will receive a $1,000 scholarship to be sent to the school of their choice. While they may not be selected as the Lilly Scholar, our county is incredibly fortunate to have such impressive students representing Fulton County as they head off to college,” commented Berger.

Since its inception in 1997–98, Lilly Endowment has supported this program with tuition grants totaling more than $505 million, benefiting over 5,400 Indiana students. The program’s primary purposes are:

• To raise the level of educational attainment in Indiana.
• To increase awareness of the beneficial roles Indiana community foundations play.
• To encourage and support Lilly Scholars’ engagement with Indiana leaders to improve quality of life statewide.