(LAGRANGE) - The winner of the 2026 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship for LaGrange County has been announced.
The LaGrange County Community Foundation says Audri Martin of Westview Jr-Sr High School has been named the recipient of this years scholarship.
Each Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides full tuition, required fees and a special allocation of up to $900 per year for required books and required equipment for four years. The scholarship is for full-time undergraduate students pursuing a bachelor's degree at an Indiana public or private college or university.
Lilly Endowment Community Scholars are awarded for their community involvement, academic achievement, character, and leadership.
Martin will graduate with academic honors and is planning to attend Purdue University next fall, where she will pursue a pre-veterinary track. She also plans to continue running her show lamb business, AGM Genetics. Martin is the daughter of Ken and Tina Martin of LaGrange.
An active leader throughout her high school career, Martin has served as an FFA member and President, National Honor Society Vice President, senior class secretary, and student council senior class representative. She is also a saxophone player in both the Jazz and Concert Bands and earned a medalist designation in Instrumental Solo and Ensemble. In addition, she is a member of the Ski Club.
Outside the classroom, Martin has gained valuable work experience at Grogg Martin Auctioneers, Lambright Club Lambs, and AGM Genetics. She is a nine-year member of 4-H, an event organizer for Feed the Farmers, a Junior Achievement volunteer, a member of Shore Church, and a camp counselor for the Building the Basics Showmanship Camp.
In selecting LaGrange County's Lilly Endowment Community Scholar, the selection committee considered academic achievement, leadership ability, service to others, employment history, extracurricular involvement, personal essays, and letters of recommendation.
The top five students who scored highest on their application were then invited to participate in a workshop day. Finalists returned for digital presentations and personal interviews conducted by the Lilly Scholarship Advisory Committee. After the field of applicants was narrowed, nominees were submitted to Independent Colleges of Indiana (ICI), the statewide administrator of the Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship Program, which approves the final selection of scholarship recipients.
Finalists for the 2026 award include Lydia Jacobson of Lakeland Jr-Sr School and Briana Kaufman, Myra Miller, and Bentley Ryall of Westview Jr-Sr High School. Each finalist will receive the Lambright Leadership Scholarship, a $1,000 renewable award established by Kevin and Carrie Lambright. The scholarship may be renewed up to three additional years, providing recipients with total scholarship support of $4,000.