Sophia Whicker

Sophia Whicker has made the most of her PHS experience, and the combination of her academic, extracurricular and leadership successes resulted in the prestigious Lilly Scholarship. 

In partnership with the Hendricks County Community Foundation, the Lilly Scholarship is awarded annually to Hendricks County students attending an accredited college or university in Indiana. The scholarship covers four years of tuition along with an annual stipend for the required books and equipment. The basis for consideration includes significant community service, outstanding academic achievement, and leadership skills. 

Whicker will begin her next educational chapter at Butler University this fall, where she will enter their Exploratory Business program while earning a minor in Spanish. The Exploratory Business program allows students to pursue general business classes for two years, then declare a specialty at the end of their sophomore year. While she acknowledges many things could change over the next four years, her interests now lead her to consider International Business, especially given her plans to study abroad in a Spanish-speaking country. 

During her senior year at PHS, Whicker took advantage of the Career Exploration Internship program to discover different aspects of the working world. Her time was divided between supporting PHS with communications and marketing projects, as well as working with local business, TKO Graphics, and the Hendricks College Network. These hands-on experiences provided insights to both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, and sparked her interest in the marketing field. 

When asked about her favorite PHS memory, the feeling of spirit and support of her classmates was the clear winner, based on the energy of football games and pep sessions, including the buildup of Homecoming Week, where she was quick to point out that the Class of ‘20 held on to the coveted Spirit Stick both their junior and senior years. Most of all, though, Whicker loved seeing all the seniors supporting and being genuinely excited for one another, while building a sense of community with their classmates. 

Her favorite class? Anatomy. While she learned a lot about anatomy, the best lesson was how she studies best, which goes well beyond memorization. She really enjoyed the hands-on labs, especially the dissection of the cow eye and sheep heart. 

Outside of the classroom and traditional school day, Whicker kept busy with Student Government, where she served on the Executive Board and the Senate Board. In addition, she was President of Junior Optimist her senior year, and was active in many roles in the PHS DECA, Spanish and Key Clubs, Miracle Movers, Unified Track, The Congregation and Riley Dance Marathon.