Penn’s Arif, Deahl named Lilly Scholarship winners

The Community Foundation of St. Joseph County announced that Penn High School students Areej Arif and Matthew Deahl earned Lilly Endowment Community Scholarships.

The prestigious award provides recipients with four-year, full-tutition scholarships and a book stipend for the Indiana college or university of their choice.

Arif is undecided about college. She plans to major in psychology and be on a pre-dental track.

Arif has been a leader in DECA and the Key Club. She worked with her DECA team to create a start-up AI health baby monitor with vibration technology to help prevent SIDS. She and her team collaborated with local doctors and research statistics related to SIDS to help create and market their product, winning at both at the local and state levels. Arif is involved with Math Club and helped create the first district-wide free math tutoring system at elementary schools. She also serves through a Kingsmen Tutoring Intership and has been a State Champion and State Runner-up in Academic Spell Bowl. Arif has been an events leader for project such as dood drives and other community service initiatives. She also competes in figure skating.

Deahl plans to attend the University of Notre Dame and study Finance and Political Science. He is an AP Scholar with Distinction and was named an Indiana Academic Rising Star by the Indiana Association of School Principals. He is a two-time DECA State Champion and the DECA Region 1 President, as well as the Penn DECA President. He earned ISSMA Cello Indiana State Gold Medalist with Distinction. He has earned the Trish Ross Servant Leadership Award. Deahl is also the President of the South Bend Common Council Youth Advisory Council and a summer research intern at the University of Notre Dame Lucy Civic Innovation Lab. He is also co-CEO and co-owner of Speakiful LLC, an in-person and virtual public speaking and humanities tutor, and part of the South Bend-Mishawaka Youth Leadership for Hope for the Hungry.