At the annual Ag School's Life Sciences Communications scholarship event on April 23, 2026, Jenna Kudrna, Milton, Wis., was named the 2026 recipient of the Frank Lessiter Ag Media Scholarship.
Prior to arriving at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Kudrna was active in county 4-H, and showed dairy cattle which she says taught her the value of hard work, responsibility and community. She was also part of the UW-Madison National Agri-Marketing Team (under advisor Sarah Botham) that earned the Badgers the 2026 National Championship at the NAMA Convention in St. Louis last week.
She interned last summer in the Marketing Communications Dept. of farm equipment manufacturer Kuhn Group, Brodhead, Wis., and will graduate from UW in December with a B.S. degree in Life Sciences Communication while earning certificates in ag business management, digital studies and entrepreneurship. She is also the communications coordinator for the Assn. of Women in Agriculture, Madison, Wis.
"I'm so grateful to be selected as a recipient of the Frank Lessiter Ag Media Scholarship," Kudrna says. "This opportunity means so much to me and helps ease the financial burden that comes with pursuing my education in agricultural communications."
Created by Lessiter Media president Mike Lessiter in 2013 to honor his father, company chairman and founder Frank Lessiter, the Frank Lessiter Ag Media Scholarship supports a University of Wisconsin-Madison Life Sciences Communication student who is actively pursuing a career in agricultural news media. The annual scholarship is available to undergraduate students majoring in Life Sciences Communication who are nominated by the department.
