Makowski receives 2026 Dr. Tom Farrell Future Leaders of Maine Scholarship
YARMOUTH — The Future Leaders of Maine Foundation is proud to announce that Lillian Makowski of Dover-Foxcroft has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Dr. Tom Farrell Future Leaders of Maine Scholarship. The scholarship is awarded each spring to a graduating Maine high school senior who plans to attend the University of Maine and who demonstrates positive leadership skills, a commitment to serving their communities and excellence in extra-curricular activities. The $15,000 award will fully cover tuition for the recipient’s freshman year.
Makowski is a graduating senior at Foxcroft Academy and plans to attend the University of Maine this fall, where she will pursue a degree in nursing with the ultimate goal of becoming a physician assistant.
“I’m honored to carry on Dr. Tom Farrell’s legacy through this scholarship,” Makowski said. “It inspires me to continue serving others with kindness, dedication and respect, just as he did.”
Deborah Farrell, Future Leaders of Maine board member and wife to the late Dr. Tom Farrell, who passed away in 2024 after a f50-year career in education, had a personal connection to Makowski’s path.
“As a nurse myself, I was deeply moved by Lillian’s story,” Farrell said. “To face heart surgery as a teenager, and then to come out of it determined to give that same care to others — that takes a special kind of strength. She’s exactly the kind of quiet, resilient leader Tom believed in: someone who lifts others up through service.”
Makowski served as president of her Key Club, vice president of student council and as a captain of both her varsity soccer and cheerleading teams. She also competed in varsity track and field. The summer before her senior year, she underwent heart surgery at Boston Children’s Hospital — an experience that deepened her commitment to a career in healthcare, inspired by the care she received from the nurses who supported her recovery. She has since volunteered at Eastern Maine Medical Center, building on that calling.
Finalists for this year’s scholarship included Jazmin Channon of Dexter Regional High School (Sangerville), Benjamin Carle of Erskine Academy (China), Hunter Hale of Schenck High School (Medway), Ange Viennot of George Stevens Academy (Sargenville) and Gabriella Kahkonen of Brewer High School (Brewer).
In addition to tuition support, scholarship recipients are connected with leadership development opportunities, including the Maine NEW Leadership program at the University of Maine’s Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center.
The Future Leaders of Maine Foundation was launched in 2024 to honor Dr. Farrell’s style of leadership and legacy of giving. Its mission is to support Maine’s next generation of leaders through an annual student scholarship program. The next application period will open in January 2027. All high school seniors in Maine planning on attending the University of Maine are encouraged to apply. To learn more, please visit: www.futureleadersofmaine.org.