By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews
FULTON — Fulton County has a new Lilly Scholar.
Caston High School senior, Addison Zimpleman, learned April 9 she was the recipient of the 2024 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.
Addison, of Fulton, was originally a runner-up to Rochester High School senior Wesley Steininger for the award. However, Steininger opted to decline the scholarship as he will attend an out-of-state university, making him ineligible for the award.
“It felt amazing,” said Zimpleman of being named the Lilly Scholar. “I’m already going to Purdue University Fort Wayne to play softball, but knowing all my tuition and books and fees would be paid for was truly a blessing.”
The scholarship will pay for Zimpleman’s full tuition and fees at PFW and up to a $900 stipend yearly for books and equipment for four years.
“Honestly, I was very shocked at first as well,” she added. “Wesley was very deserving of this.”
Zimpleman was going to PFW on an athletic scholarship, but she’s turning that down in favor of the Lilly award. She’ll study business or marketing at PFW.
“My dream goal is to open up some type of business around the community (to benefit it),” said Zimpleman.
She is the daughter of Greg and Camile Zimpleman and has spent all of her school years in the Caston School Corp.
“I have to say this community is a family. They’re always willing to defend you in any way and just bring you in no matter who you are,” she said.
She said English has been her favorite subject.
“It allows me to be creative, kind of think outside the box, understand how other people think differently about a certain topic or what we’re reading, which I really love,” said Addison. “I like hearing other people’s opinions about what they have to say about something.”
English teacher, Melinda Shultz, has been Addison’s favorite educator.
“She’s kind of pushed me to be the best student,” said Addison. “Her classroom, it’s almost like a safe space I would say just because she’s just willing to let us say whatever we want and listen to what we do have to say.”
Addison has played basketball and volleyball at Caston as well as been in National Honor Society and Key Club.
Softball, which she’s played all four years of high school, is her favorite extracurricular activity though.
“I was about 8 (when I started playing softball),” said Addison. “I just always knew that I loved the sport, and it was kind of a safe space I could go to when things maybe weren’t going my way.”
She’s been a middle infielder and pitcher at Caston and said she will “primarily play middle infield” at PFW.
Aside from her Caston extracurricular activities, Addison also is involved in the Fulton-Liberty Lions Club, helping with fish fries and doing princess makeovers for little girls around Fulton Fun Day.
Addison was selected for the Lilly scholarship based on her academics and community involvement. She also wrote an essay and completed an interview.
“I wrote about the foster care system and how it’s impacted my life,” said Addison.
She noted her aunt and uncle have served as foster parents.
“I’ve seen firsthand how the system works,” she said. “I’ve seen kids come in and out … but in the end just seeing how grateful they were to be a part of a family and just to be loved by people, which they weren’t necessarily getting … Just seeing all of that work out in God’s way was truly amazing.”
Addison said the interview process for the Lilly Scholarship was “the most beneficial” to her as it prepared her for the future.
“It opens a lot of doors, and it just helps build your character,” she would say to others of applying for the scholarship.
