Pictured from left are Kosciusko County Community Foundation executive director Suzie Light, Lilly Scholarship recipient Shay Merley, Angie Merley and Eric Merley. (Photo by Amanda McFarland)

Audrey Rich was named a 2016 Lilly Endowment Community Scholar for Kosciusko County. Pictured from left are Kosciusko County Community Foundation director Suzie Light, Warsaw Community High School principal Troy Akers, Audrey Rich, WCS superintendent David Hoffert, Candace Rich and David Rich. (Photo provided)

KOSCIUSKO COUNTY — The Kosciusko County Community Foundation has announced its two local recipients of the 2016 Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship are Audrey Rich, daughter of David and Candace Rich, and Shay Merley, son of Eric and Angie Merley.

Rich is a senior at Warsaw Community High School and Merley is a senior at Tippecanoe Valley High School. Recipients are judged blindly, meaning judges do not know the students’ names. Applicants are judged based on academics, community service, extracurricular activities, work experience and an essay. Each applicant must also have references describe him or her.

At school, Rich has been involved in select chorale, thespian troupe, one-act plays, track and field, National Honor Society and musicals.

As far as community involvement, Rich has been part of church youth group, Kosciukso Cares Coalition, Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts and Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy. Totaling 175 hours, her volunteer time has included church outreach, the Warsaw Parks Department and founding Rooted Garden which donates produce to Our Father’s House.

Rich has worked as a waitress and a babysitter. She plans to attend Indiana University and major in art history and informatics.

Merley has been involved in Peer Facilitators, student council, National Honor Society, track and field, cross country and junior varsity football. In the community, he has been part of Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy, Kosciusko Endowment Youth Services, church youth group and has been a student ambassador.

He has spent 400 hours volunteering, including taking three mission trips and participating as a camp counselor at a camp for children with disabilities. He has served an unpaid internship in TVSC’s technology department and worked for both a dog kennel, a tree planting and removal service and a restaurant dish washer.

Merley plans to attend Rose Hulman Institute of Technology and major in electrical engineering.

The Lilly Endowment Community Scholarship provides a full ride to any Indiana school of the recipient’s choice. Each county in the state has two recipients.