Fishers graduate gets college help in mother’s memory
By GRACE GREEN
grace@readthereporter.com
The Indiana Donor Network (IDN) Foundation presented Fishers High School graduate Lainey Akins with a surprise academic scholarship on Saturday, June 7.
IDN facilitates organ and tissue donation in Indiana and acts as a link between donors and those who are waiting for a transplant. The IDN Foundation usually awards five scholarships a year totaling $25,000. This year, the Foundation was able to give seven scholarships.
The scholarships are open to a variety of individuals involved with IDN.
“This particular scholarship is available for immediate family members of donor heroes, as well as to families whose loved ones are either a transplant recipient or a patient who is waiting,” Courtney Tillotta, chair of IDN’s scholarship committee, said. “It could also be a transplant recipient themselves, or a patient who is waiting.”
Akins’ connection to IDN is through her mother, Rinda Akins, a tissue donor hero.
The selection process considers a variety of factors when picking recipients.
“There is academic criteria that is involved in judging, as well as their extracurricular involvement, volunteering in the community, those kinds of things are also taken into account,” Tillotta said.
Akins played rugby for Fishers and was also a soccer referee, which are only a few of the reasons why her application stood out to IDN.
“It was a combination of her essay, her academic achievements, and her involvement in school, the community and volunteering,” Tillotta said.
To surprise Akins, IDN came to her graduation party to present her with the scholarship.
“We were able to arrive a little early and present her award,” Tillotta said. “It was really beautiful. It was an intimate moment with her immediate family.”
(From left) Courtney Tillotta, manager of aftercare services for Indiana Donor Network and leader of Indiana Donor Network Foundation’s annual scholarship program; Lainey Akins; and Christine Ryan, aftercare support coordinator at Indiana Donor Network. (Photo provided)
Akins was indeed surprised.
“It was really cool,” Akins said. “When they came in, I wasn’t expecting it at all. I loved that my family was there because they got to see me accept it and take pictures.”
Akins earned the first-place scholarship of $7,000 and although she can’t reapply for the scholarship again, she plans to stay involved with IDN.
“They mentioned that there would be opportunities for internships or jobs, which I am going to do because I think it would be really cool to get some experience in the field,” Akins said.
Akins plans to study nursing at Ball State University in the fall and will use the scholarship as a way to honor her mom.
“She always valued her education and wanted us to pursue higher education,” Akins said. “I think it’s really going to help with supporting my funds for college.”
Motivated to help others, the Akins family chose tissue donation as a way to honor her memory.
“We thought that even if she couldn’t support us for the rest of her life that she would still be able to help other people,” Akins said.
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