Fortitude Scholarship Candidates 2025 – Part I

This month, Kokomo/Tipton Magazine is introducing the first three candidates for the Spring Semester’s Fortitude Scholarship contest. Each student has a 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) or above and plans to attend college/military/trade school upon graduation in 2025. Most importantly, all have shown fortitude in some way while in school. Despite working through challenges, these students have been able to maintain attendance, grades and involvement in school activities. Their struggles did not go unnoticed; each was nominated by the teachers and administrators of their high school.

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Lillian Stewart, Tri-Central High School

Lillian Stewart attends Tri-Central High School and lives in Sharpsville with her mom, Sondra Stewart, and younger sister, Isabella. Although she tries to avoid spreading herself too thin, she prefers to stay very busy and enjoys meeting people. Stewart is involved in student government, sports, Future Farmers of America (FFA), National Honor Society and 4-H. Her mother and teachers are proud of the leadership roles she has taken on and all she has accomplished.

Although her father, Andrew Stewart, is not here to witness her successes, she knows he would also be proud. Regrettably, he passed away when she was 11 years old. He was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer before her fourth-grade school year began. Around Christmas time his health took a sharp decline, and he passed on February 22, 2017.

Stewart has participated in student government throughout her time at Tri-Central. She was class president during her freshman and sophomore years. Now as student body president, she oversees activities and events that involve all four grades at the high school. Right before Thanksgiving she spearheaded the canned food drive associated with the annual Pilgrim Cup, a basketball matchup between the Tri-Central Trojans and the Tipton Blue Devils.

A lover of sports, Stewart is a member of varsity soccer, varsity basketball and varsity track. She has competed in track since the sixth grade. Her mother held school track records, which Stewart broke as a sophomore.

“My mom became a track-and-field throwing-event coach at the high school after she lost her job during COVID; my events are shot put and discus, and I was happy to break my mom’s records while she was my coach,” Stewart says with a laugh.

Stewart is interested in agriculture. As a 4-H member she has raised and shown pigs, as well as being involved in foods and garden horticulture. She has been an officer in Tri-Central’s FFA chapter for three years. Besides working on the organization’s scrapbook, she has enjoyed being part of the Agricultural Sales Career Development Event.

During this nationwide competition, groups of four students learn about a product and then convince the judges to buy it. This year the product Stewart’s group elected to sell was Pioneer Seeds. Stewart’s father had been a senior research associate for DuPont Pioneer, so it was gratifying when Tri-Central’s team placed fourth at state.

“My favorite academic subject is science,” she says. My teachers make it interesting. That helps me to understand it better. I interned at an agricultural company in sales. I liked talking to people and being in an office.”

Stewart’s father received his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University. She would like to follow in his footsteps and major in agricultural economics while earning an additional degree in communications. Her goal is a job in agricultural sales or marketing.

“When I lost my dad, I dealt with a lot of grief,” she says. “It was a dark time and I wasn’t happy. I contemplated on whether I wanted to continue living. My fourth-grade class helped me throughout that year, and I still have the card they gave me. Everyone grieves in their own way. I shoved it down for years, didn’t process it and told everyone I was doing great. I thought I would be letting my family down if I didn’t act that way. But everyone has struggles. Finally, I turned to family and friends. So, reach out. Talk about how you feel. I learned not to take myself so seriously and I’m grateful for the time I did have with my dad. Now, I feel joy in seeing and talking to everyone in my classes and at school.”

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Jaxsen Muncie, Tipton High School

Tipton High School senior Jaxsen Muncie enjoys hands-on work, being in the great outdoors, and running cross-country and track. He admits he has a soft spot for “SpongeBob Square Pants”. During vacations with his parents and three sisters, he was the one who suggested historical sites to visit along the way. Some of his best memories are going hunting and fishing with his dad. 

Unfortunately his father, Scott Muncie, passed away on December 6, 2023. In 2019 his father was diagnosed with colon cancer. Although chemotherapy, multiple surgeries and other treatments bought the family more time, it was a rough period. Throughout it all, Muncie excelled in track, earning first-place finishes and MVP honors at meets. He also continued to maintain honor-roll status while taking Advanced College Project classes to graduate with honors. 

Supporting the school community is important to Muncie, and he participates in recycling to raise funds as well as helping with concessions. As a freshman and sophomore he managed the yard work at his grandmother’s house. He has also worked for My Dad’s Sweet Corn as a corn picker and at the Carmel Farmers Market.  

Muncie is a member of Spanish club, and he shares that learning the language isn’t easy unless he sits down and studies it. One of his favorite subjects is history. The other is math, which he feels he enjoys because of his dad. 

“My dad was good at math and could do it in his head,” he says. “He worked in maintenance in several nursing homes in Carmel, Sheridan and Kokomo, and taught me a lot of stuff about plumbing and heating. Once I went with him, when the power at one of the facilities went out. People needed electricity for oxygen machines, and we worked all night. I ate so many frosted animal crackers that I can’t eat them anymore.”  

“We went fishing together every weekend and no less than three times a week,” Muncie adds. “A couple was selling a jon boat for $500 with all the amenities. After calling my mom for the OK, we paid them in cash. We didn’t have a hitch, so they kept it for us until we could get it home. Dad came to all my cross-country and track meets, and after I got my learner’s permit, he sometimes surprised me by coming to practices and letting me drive home. He lived longer than what was predicted, so he was prepared and left cards and notes.” 

Muncie discovered his love for running when his older sister, A.J., challenged him to participate in Mighty Miler, a program for elementary students. He found the sport was a good fit for him. After attending Tri-Central Middle School, he came to Tipton High School to run on its teams. This fall he will attend Indiana University Kokomo, and be a member of the cross-country and track teams there. 

“After my dad died, things weren’t harder, but having the motivation to do them was,” he says. “I wasn’t eating much. Within five years my family lost an uncle, my grandfather, my dad and an aunt. I felt I had to stay strong for my mom. My teammates were there for me; they would do random stuff with me to cheer me up. Other family members and my mom’s friends would send me messages. I finally reached out to a pastor my dad had been close to. He helped me believe there was life after death. I know there are many kids that go through something like this. I would tell them it’s not easy, but you must keep pushing on. It’s also OK to cry and ask for help if you need it.” 

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Jaeley Shuck, Kokomo High School

Jaeley Shuck, senior at Kokomo High School, is living proof that a person can’t help being good at something they love. From middle school on, her favorite subject has been math but with a GPA of 4.4, it’s clear she enjoys all learning, especially in her Advanced Placement classes. Through her four-year involvement with marching band’s Color Guard and Winter Guard she has cultivated a community that feels like family. Her closest biological family is her great grandma, Maggie Hart.

Since she was two years old, Shuck has lived with her great grandmother. Hart is now 94 years old and in November was put on hospice care. Shuck shares that although it’s difficult to see her great grandmother’s health decline, it is a joy and privilege to be the main care giver to the person who raised her.

“My great grandma is well known in the community for being kind and sweet. She is a lovely person with a mindset that allowed her to give her life to her family. She helped me to be down to earth and patient. She and my great grandfather, Mickey Hart who died in 2020, took me in. In a short period of time, I lost both my great grandpa, who I truly saw as my dad, and my biological father. Having to grieve a father twice is an event in my life that really shaped me. It’s made me strong and now it’s my responsibility to take care of my great grandmother,” says Shuck.

“Without a doubt, Color Guard and Winter Guard is the spark that that brings me joy. It’s a big help for getting me through the hard parts in my live. It has taught me the importance of respect. I had to prove myself, but when I did, more opportunities opened. I got to take on a leadership role. I realized how much I loved it,” says Shuck.

During band season, the Color Guard must attend a rigorous practice schedule. As flag captain during both her junior and senior year, Shuck has additional duties. Winter Guard practices many days during winter break and Color Guard has camps throughout the year. The days can be eight to nine hours long.

Besides Color Guard and Winter Guard, Shuck also participates in Environmental Club. She tries to find the time to hang out with friends at least once a week. They may go out to eat or go shopping. She especially likes spending time with her best friend she has known since fourth grade. Shuck admits that she often stays up late just to carve out a couple hours of down time for herself.

“I’d like to live an adulthood without stress. I plan on going to Purdue University Fort Wayne and majoring in actuarial science and minoring in political science. I enjoy numbers and statistics, and I’d like to work for a company that focuses on environmental issues,” says Shuck.

“I want to do something to help the community, but after two years of psychology class, I realized that being a therapist is not the route for me. Thanks to a lot of teachers who had patience with me, I’m good at math. Being good at something takes the stress off. When I get older, maybe I’ll go back and get a law degree,” says Shuck.

Shuck feels the hardest part of her life right now is watching the woman who raised her struggle with health problems. As the family member who lives with her grandmother, she is free of any resentment and unconditionally wants to help her.  What helps is keeping her eye on the future and mapping out a path.

“If I set my mind to something, I will achieve it. My great grandma will sacrifice her own health if she thinks she is asking too much of me, and I don’t want that to happen. I know I will come out a better person for taking care of her,” says Shuck.

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