UofL President Neeli Bendapudi will preside at the event, and Cynthia Schepers will be the student speaker.

Schepers, who is earning a bachelor’s degree in health and human performance (exercise science track), is a resident of Family Scholar House, a program serving disadvantaged youth and single-parent families pursing postsecondary education. After entering the foster care system at 13 and attending five high schools before graduating from North Bullitt High School, the Louisville native became homeless at 21 before connecting with Family Scholar House.

Schepers cited a National Foster Youth Institute statistic that said nationwide fewer than 3 percent of former foster youth graduate from a four-year college.

“I have shown so much resiliency throughout my college journey. I have experienced so many hardships. Despite all of them, I was still dedicated to becoming a part of that 3 percent,” Schepers said. “I’m going to be one of those foster kids who graduate to show other foster kids it’s possible.”

The graduate’s goal is to become a personal trainer working to provide low-cost services to former foster youths.        

“I would tell someone in my position to never give up. I think that you can do anything you put your mind to, and if that means getting resources and support from people, then that’s what you’ve got to do,” Schepers said. “There are so many people at UofL who just want to support you, so making sure that you’re taking advantage of that support that’s offered is crucial to succeeding.”

At commencement, graduating students and their guests should enter the center through the doors facing Main Street between Second and Third streets and allow extra time to go through security. All bags will be checked and should not be larger than 14-by-14 inches. Balloons are prohibited.

In addition to commencement at KFC Yum! Center, the UofL Graduate School will host a doctoral hooding and graduation ceremony at 2 p.m. on the same day. That ceremony will be on the Belknap Campus, Swain Student Activities Center Ballroom, Room W215.

The award honors extraordinary impact on students, and the political science professor will receive it during the Dec. 15 commencement ceremony.

Helping students succeed is quite a motivator. “It’s my great joy,” she said.

A UofL faculty member since 1994, Bunck was named a distinguished honors professor in 2002 and now mostly teaches honors classes. Her areas of expertise include Latin American politics and international relations, but her student nominators attest to learning much more from their mentor and role model than her subject material.

They refer to her infectious enthusiasm, motivational approach, intellectual discussion, high expectations, career advice and moral support. Several cite Bunck’s generosity with her time and expertise outside the classroom time and office hours, offering advice on papers, presentations, applications and interviews.

She also supervises many honors or master’s thesis projects and serves on numerous committees to select university award recipients and entrance into programs such as the McConnell Scholars.

A three-time Fulbright scholar herself in Mexico, Japan and Central America, Bunck twice has been a visiting professor for Semester at Sea study-abroad voyages that went to a total of 24 countries. She has been a visiting lecturer for months in Vietnam and taught in Australia and Ecuador.

These international experiences encourage academic growth for professors as well as students and bring credibility to her UofL classroom discussion and approach.

“You come back and the way you think about teaching changes,” she said.

Bunck encourages students to study abroad and to apply for the scholarship programs and other funding opportunities that can make those horizon-broadening, life-changing opportunities possible. Many of those winners of prominent scholarships have been political science students and majors.

She also encourages critical thinking, integrates current events and personal experiences and draws out her students’ opinions in class discussion.

With that critical thinking comes an emphasis on writing. Bunck passes out copies of her practical student guide to writing papers, which covers grammatical issues and editorial tips. She still receives emails from former students who either still use the handy guidebook or want her to send them an updated copy to use on the job or advanced studies.

Several students mentioned that they continue to stay in touch with Bunck years after graduation and rely on her career counsel and encouragement. They also acknowledge that Bunck seemed to recognize in them potential they didn’t see in themselves.

Bunck enjoys getting to know her students and helping match them with programs she thinks might fit with their education and future careers. That can involve tapping them to brainstorm about their next steps with discussions centering on suggestions such as “Have you thought about applying for this? Have you ever considered this?”

“I just put a lot of my time and energy into teaching and working with students,” Bunck said. “Students just need so much attention, and they’re all on the cusp of becoming great and you can’t let them slip away.

“I’m so appreciative of these students.”