Fuqua School senior Audra Murphy of Prospect, placed first in this year’s VFW Post 7059 Voice of Democracy contest with her audio essay on “What Makes America Great.”

Audra Murphy

Murphy is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Murphy.

Each year, nearly 40,000 high school students compete for more than $2 million in scholarships and incentives. Students compete by writing and recording an audio essay on an annual patriotic theme.

Since 1947, the Voice of Democracy has been the Veterans of Foreign Wars’ premier scholarship program.