Samuel Roberts, Centerville, Indiana, and Sidne Thompson, Richmond, Indiana, are the 2019 recipients of Paul and Pat Lingle Scholars Program. The scholarship award will continue throughout their pursuit of a four-year degree at Indiana University East. Both are graduates of Centerville High School.

Samuel Roberts

Roberts is a business administration major. “I chose business because I have always loved numbers and math as well as meeting new people and just being social. My experience so far has been amazing. I have felt very welcomed so far as well as very proud to be a part of such a great college,” Roberts said.

Roberts is a member of the IU East men’s golf team. He also works with the Office of Admissions as an Admissions Ambassador.

By receiving the scholarship, Roberts said he is able to pursue his degree without the stress of student loans, and he has the opportunity to continue his education whereas before he might not have been able to go on to college.

Sidne Thompson

“I am very honored and grateful to be selected as a Lingle Scholar,” Roberts said. “These students truly do go above and beyond and I am honored to be selected as one of those students and be recognized as such a student.”

Roberts is one of 14 valedictorian or salutatorians to choose to attend IU East this fall as part of the incoming freshman class. “I chose IU East because everywhere that you go on campus, there is a family atmosphere. From the professors all the way to the chancellor, everyone wants you to succeed much like a family would,” Roberts said.

One day he hopes to own or manage his own golf course.

“I love the game and I would love to expand the game, so managing my own course is my best option to not only expand the game but give back to the community through programs such as The First Tee,” he said.

Thompson is majoring in nursing and pursuing a minor in Spanish.

“Getting a Lingle scholarship was a relief off of my shoulders,” Thompson said. “I always knew I would have to pay for college on my own. With this scholarship, I won’t have all the student debt accumulated, and in particular that will be helpful as I go on to attend graduate school.”

Thompson said she has always wanted to attend Indiana University and visited the Bloomington, Indianapolis and Richmond campuses.

“After I toured IU East in my junior year, I just knew IU East was the place for me,” Thompson said. “Everyone was very welcoming, helpful and so interactive.”

Thompson is also an Admissions Ambassador and she works for the Office of External Affairs. She is a member of Circle K, the National Student Nursing Association and Opening Minds Through Art (OMA), a program connecting IU East students with elders with dementia to foster communication, self-worth and social interaction through art projects.

“My first semester has been awesome. I dove in right off the bat to get involved. It’s been the perfect amount of busy,” Thompson said.

Once Thompson graduates with her undergraduate degree, she hopes to be either an anesthesiologist or a pediatric nurse.

To help encourage the brightest and best students in Wayne County to continue their education at IU East, Paul and Pat Lingle announced their plan to endow the Paul and Pat Lingle Scholars Program with a $100,000 gift in 2018. The program provides a four year scholarship to high-achieving area students pursuing a four-year degree at IU.

The four-year scholarship is awarded to two students who have been accepted to the IU East Honors Program, an academic program that provides an intellectually enriching curriculum for highly motivated students. Recipients receive a four-year scholarship, provided by the Lingles.

The Lingle Scholars program was established in 2005 and formally endowed in 2018. The program has assisted 16 students achieve their goal of earning a bachelor’s degree, including the most recent graduates from the program, Destiny Maitlen of Centerville and Mackenzie Spurrier of Richmond. This year Thompson and Roberts join Noah Fox of Richmond and Hope Peer of Fountain City as Paul & Pat Lingle Scholars at IU East.