Life after high school is about growth. It’s a season to follow your own path, explore your passions and reach for your future.
The Modern Woodmen Scholarship Program helps hundreds of members succeed on their chosen path each year. Exclusively for member students, the two-part program includes a scholarship competition for high school seniors and a competition for members ages 21 and up. In 2025 alone, the program awarded more than half a million dollars to help members reach educational goals.
Meet Lila Ingold, Asheboro, North Carolina, a winner from the class of 2025. Shining brightly in her community, she’s using support from this member program to shape a future full of possibility.
Modern Woodmen: What are your plans for school this year?
Lila: I’m attending the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Go Heels!
MW: What are you studying?
L: I plan to major in biology on a pre-dental track. After shadowing a reconstructive dental surgery, I saw the impact of a new smile on a person. I realized that I, too, could give people the opportunity to smile more.
MW: Tell us about an impactful volunteer experience.
L: I enjoyed volunteering at Friends of the Library Bookshop. It’s a volunteer-run discount bookstore in my hometown. Honestly, I signed up so I could be around books all day. But soon, I realized being able to spend time with the other volunteers was the rewarding part. Most were retired. While we sorted books, they told me stories about my hometown, asked questions about my future, and (of course) talked about books, which happens to be one of my favorite pastimes.
Deeper than that, I found a sense of community with people in a completely different generation than me through a common hobby. It taught me that when we put ourselves out there, we can find communities everywhere.
MW: How has volunteering helped you grow as a person?
L: Volunteering is a distinctly human behavior. It’s a physical reminder that we all, no matter what the condition or circumstance, are on this Earth together. We’re called to serve each other with more than just acts, but our hearts, too.
It’s taught me to slow down and listen to the people around me. I can stop rushing around a me-centered universe and focus on what truly matters – loving and seeing people.
When we put ourselves out there, we can find communities everywhere.
MW: Who’s your inspiration?
L: It has to be my mom. She meets people where they are and always has capacity for more than just herself. On top of that, she runs a business and takes care of my family. Watching her juggle those things always leaves me inspired. More than that, she’s always made time for me. She’s present when I need her to be and is consistently my No. 1 cheerleader.
I hope to be like her every day – someone who makes time for others, is brave under pressured circumstances and loves endlessly.
MW: What are your long-term goals?
L: Simply put, I long to live a life dedicated to serving and loving the people around me. Hopefully, that’s through a career in dental care – but, if not, that’s OK too. I most likely will still be living in Asheboro though!
MW: What’s a fun fact about you?
L: I love to read and surf. If I could do both at the same time, I would!
Ready to take your education to the next level?
Modern Woodmen’s member-exclusive scholarship program is here to help you chase those goals – wherever they lead. Applications for both scholarships open Nov. 1 each year and are due the first Monday in February. Visit the links below to learn more.
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Scholarships
Modern Woodmen offers financial support for members who want to continue their education after high school. Current high school seniors can win up to $10,000 in a scholarship competition.