As administrators past and present at Warsaw Community Schools, Ben and Dani Barkey have seen other parents’ children receive the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship.
Friday, they got to be at Warsaw Community High School when Kosciusko County Community Foundation CEO Stephanie Overbey announced their daughter, Aliah Barkey, a WCHS senior, was one of this year’s full-ride scholarship winners.
The other recipient, Amy Brown from Whitko High School, was announced later Friday morning in a separate surprise.
Overbey explained to Aliah Barkey and everyone present at the announcement that The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship is a full-tuition, four-year scholarship to the Indiana college or university of the recipient’s choice.
“In Kosciusko County, we have a blind review process. So our committee members had no access to your name or your parents’ names, so your application had to stand on its own merits. And in Kosciusko County, that scholarship is based on academic excellence, community service, extracurricular involvement, work experience, references and essay responses,” Overbey said.
What the committee saw in Aliah’s application was that she earned a 4.36 grade point average on a 4.0 scale and earned 38 college credits, Overbey said. Aliah plans to major in architecture in college. Her extracurricular activities include Kosciusko County Teen Court, National Honor Society, track, cross country, Kosciusko Venture Challenge, Winona Lake Art Fair artist, unified football, Legacy Council and more. Additionally, Aliah has volunteered with numerous community groups, including Camp Mack and Feed My Starving Children.
Overbey said the committee was impressed with Aliah’s work experience in retail and childcare, but also because she’s been a self-employed artist, having sold over 150 of her paintings. “Very cool,” Overbey stated.
Aliah’s references for the scholarship called her trustworthy, wise, mature, compassionate, creative and that she’s willing to care for those on the margins. She seeks to make sure all people feel invited, welcomed and seen. They said she has impeccable character and she is a perfect example of a servant leader and entrepreneur.
“Thank you so much. I appreciate it,” Aliah said.

    Warsaw Community High School senior Aliah Barkey (L) was surprised Friday when she learned from Kosciusko County Community Foundation CEO Stephanie Overbey (R) that she is a Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship recipient. The scholarship is a four-year, full-tuition scholarship that enables recipients to attend an Indiana college or university of their choice. Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.
  

WCHS Principal Troy Akers told Aliah, “Your total body of work is amazing as anyone who has ever won this award or had this award presented to them.”
Aliah then said, “I just want to say thank you to all of those who have impacted my life. I wouldn’t be who I am today if it weren’t for my mom, my dad and for everyone here. You all have helped me in some way and I’m very grateful for that, so thank you.”
Asked if he was surprised by Friday’s announcement, Ben said, “You’re always very hopeful for your children. So, watching her do all these amazing things over her adolescent career from middle school and high school, I would say surprised? no, because she’s worked really hard. And not necessarily doing all these things with the Lilly in mind. I don’t think that became something she was really thinking about until one of her friends at Wawasee last year got it. So I think maybe that’s when she was like, ‘I might have an opportunity at this achievement as well.’”
He said he was thankful and excited for her, but wasn’t surprised because he’s had the opportunity to watch her over the years do what she does.
Dani was a bit more surprised at the announcement because of the way it was unveiled.
She said, “I used to be able to come along to these when I was (WCS deputy superintendent) and we did it very differently back then, so I didn’t think it was that because we used to go to the classroom and surprise the student. So when Mr. Akers invited Aliah to come down and have a conversation with him, I was like, ‘Maybe she’s in trouble.’ After being with kids for so many years in my role with the district, I know it’s always possible a kid’s in trouble, but that wasn’t it. So I was surprised.”
Dani said she was really happy and that, “Aliah, since she was 14, has been producing art so prolifically and goes to the art fairs every summer at Winona Lake and sells her art. And that’s been her main job, and it takes a doer and a self-starter to do that kind of work and be able to make money out of it.”
She didn’t even see Aliah’s Lilly Grant application or help her with it. “That’s just the kind of kid she is,” Dani said. “We’re very proud of her.”
In an interview after the reveal and photos, Aliah said she was very surprised she was chosen.
“It hasn’t really sinked in yet because, I knew I had a decent shot because of my academics, but I never actually thought about it,” she said.
Aliah stated she’s leaning toward going to Purdue University to study art. “I’ve always wanted to be an artist, so having this as a foundation kind of pushes me to ‘I can do art. I want to be an artist.’”
Most of Aliah’s art is abstract, but she also works with 3D shapes.
“I flip furniture. I also make boards like longdecks or skateboards. And I’ve made paddleboards, so very hands-on 3D, but mostly I do my abstract acrylic pours,” she stated.
Her artistry comes from her family. Her great-grandmother was a “really great artist,” Aliah said, and Dani got an art degree at Manchester and was an art teacher. “So art’s kind of been in my family. My grandpa is like a woodworker.”
Art started out as a hobby for Aliah, but she kept doing it and taking classes that allowed her to be creative.
“It just kind of grew into this love that I have for art,” she stated.