Student opens home to fellow valedictorian - 13 WTHR Indianapolis

Lexi Lorch and Shelby Dalton have a lot to celebrate.

Lexi is a Carmel High School graduate and Shelby will earn her diploma from Arsenal Tech in a week. Their friendship all started with an unlikely idea for an 18-year-old and a phone call.

"On my way to work, I thought that would be so fun to share my open house with someone who couldn't afford to go to college that wanted to go to college they didn't have the resources and so we called the IPS school systems and we told them what we were thinking," said Lorch.

Tech High School guidance director Dr. Vernita Robinson was on the other end of the line. When she heard Lorch's idea, she almost hung up the phone.

"What went through my mind was, 'Why? What's going on here? What catch is it?' You know, 'Was there a catch to it?'" said Robinson.

When she realized there was no catch, her mind immediately zeroed in on one student. 

"I thought, 'Oh, I've got the perfect person for you. Our valedictorian, Shelby Dalton," said Robinson.

Dalton is an exceptional student. Not only is she the top of her class at Tech, with a 4.28 grade average, she has the highest GPA in the entire IPS district.

"I've been dreaming about it since freshman year. My dad always said, 'You have to be valedictorian. You've gotta be,' and, well, I did it," said Dalton.

The soft-spoken academic powerhouse speaks Japanese and is an accomplished artist.

She is headed to Indiana University in the fall, but finances are still a major hurdle. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect help would come like this.

"I kind of felt like I was invited into the family. They are very loving and I just feel like, like I belong," said Dalton.

Together, the two honors students planned and pulled off a successful party over the weekend.

Shelby's father, David, couldn't believe a stranger would want to help his daughter.

"I was amazed someone that young and that nice would think of something like this, this is amazing," he said.

Shelby received around $1,000 in gifts at the open house, which will help with college. This experience, however, has given the teen so much more. It has boosted her confidence and renewed her faith in people.

"She doesn't realize how great of a person she is. Not at all," Shelby said.

Lorch said what she did just made sense and encourages others to do the same.

"It was really fun. Not only does she now have money, resources for college, but now we also have friends forever, so that's cool," said Lorch.

Life-long friends, all thanks to a little idea from a young woman with an enormous heart.

Dalton is still around $8,000 short for school. A fund has been established at 5/3 Bank to help her get to IU in time for the fall semester.