“For as long as I can remember, I was fascinated by civil engineering, even when I didn’t know it yet. Ever since I was a child, I was intrigued by the structures that surrounded us. Skyscrapers whose sheer height and beauty left me in awe as the magnificent structures seemed to scrape the skies and reach to the heavens. Bridges whose legs pierce the vast depths of the oceans that bring not only people, but ideas and culture that change society for the better. I would always wonder how these structures came to be and how people like you and me constructed these grand structures from the ground up,” Jordan-Smith said.

This lifelong curiosity is why he chose to attend UofL. When he’s done, he wants to open up his own business.听

Jordan-Smith is part of the Community Foundation of Louisville’s #ScholarsofKentucky campaign, and is also a recipient of CFL’s William J. Kircher Memorial Scholarship.听聽

Photo provided by聽

Tran credits her time spent in Fairdale for providing her with many opportunities, including various extracurricular activities and serving as both class president and valedictorian.听

“Aside from all of the extracurricular activities at Fairdale, the people were what really made the place so special. The community is like family; everyone is sweet like the tea we all drink,” Tran said. “It’s a blessing to be a part of something wholesome like that. Not to mention, I had teachers and staff that were not only supportive and caring, but they were passionate about their work. [They] have played a major part in my academic success.”

Photo by calebperryphotography.com.

Kim, who was born in South Korea and raised in Kentucky, is the recipient of the Dunaway Scholarship and the Mason Family Foundation Scholarship from the foundation.听

“Growing up for me was a little different than for most kids. I learned two different languages and had two different cultures,” she said.听

The one part of her life that wasn’t split between the two, however, was art.听

“I would draw all over the house and everywhere, including my dad’s car,” she said.听

Kim said her parents moved to the United States to chase their dreams and to give her the opportunity to pursue hers as well. That is precisely what she is doing at the University of Louisville.听

“Ever since I was young, I knew I wanted to do something in art,” she said. “I chose graphic design as my major because it gives me lots of opportunities and I get to help people communicate their messages through the field of graphic design.鈥�

More information about the Community Foundation’s Scholars of Kentucky program is .听

Tagnedji, who was聽the valedictorian of her class at Iroquois High School, was born “in a village somewhere in the mountains of Todome, Togo.”聽

“My parents said I have had it better than most. By ‘most,’ they mean the thousands of orphans like them and the starving families back home they left behind in search of a better life for me and my brother,” she told the foundation.听聽

Tagnedji said her story, however, is not a “zero to hero story,聽just the life of a young black immigrant, who moved across nations for better opportunities.”

Tagnedji describes herself as ambitious, competitive and competent. She also describes her leadership skills as “exceptional” thanks to her years of experience as commander of JROTC, student body president and captain of various sports teams.听

“I always aim for the top because that’s where I want to be,” she said. “I never quit my post, I always adapt. My tenacity and commitment are unyielding.”

Tagnedji’s goal is to work with Doctors Without Borders and one day work with the World Health Organization.

“I want to go back home and improve living conditions for my family as well, maybe build a hospital or a school,” she said. “I want to change the world.”

Photo by聽

The prestigious $5,000 award is an opportunity for local artists to enhance their careers through a targeted enrichment experience of their own design.

鈥淢y most recent body work has been on Jewish memory, identity and legacy,” said Szwedzinski. “As an artist, I am continually mindful of who I intend as my audience. I question why it is important for me to make work about Judaism and how my work connects to contemporary issues.鈥�

Szwedzinski will use the award to visit the Jewish Contemporary Museum and the Holocaust Center in San Francisco, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and Archives in Washington, D.C., and the Genealogy Center in Fort Wayne, Indiana, as well as to take a course at the Rare Book School in Philadelphia.

“I believe that the act of remembering is a powerful tool in fostering empathy and breaking barriers of bias,” Szwedzinski said. “It’s important, now more than ever, to remind people that when true diversity is present in a community is when we all thrive.”

honored Szwedzinski with a June 21.

The Hadley Prize is awarded from the George and Mary Alice Hadley Fund at the . Focused on the arts and humanities, particularly visual arts, crafts, theater and the Louisville Free Public Library, the endowment has supported the community for more than 25 years.

The winner is selected through a blind process by a diverse panel of arts professionals from Louisville and the surrounding area. The 2018 prize drew 40 applicants from the greater Louisville area, including Southern Indiana, whose work demonstrated mastery in ceramics, graphic design, drawing, crafts, painting, photography, sculpture, video, film and printmaking.

鈥淎rt soothes and calms our collective souls. Art causes us to question and to think. Through the years, art has been used to tell the story of those who came before. The work of KCJ Szwedzinski is powerful and will cause those who see her work to pause and reflect on this horrific period in our history,鈥� said LVA’s Executive Director,聽Lindy Casebier. 鈥淟ouisville Visual Art is pleased to partner with the Community Foundation of Louisville in support of KCJ’s growth as an artist and in turn share that personal growth with others in our community.鈥�

Szwedzinski’s itinerary has been designed to fuse personal history and artistic inspiration, “to synthesize seemingly disparate bodies of knowledge – archival practices for historical information and my personal inherited legacies.”

鈥淭his experience will broaden my ability to make work that is rooted in my own Judaic heritage,鈥� said Szwedzinski, 鈥渨hile facilitating engagement of a more universal audience.鈥�

The Hadley Prize is just one of the ways that the Community Foundation of Louisville supports local artists. Hadley Creatives is the Foundation’s six-month comprehensive professional development program for working artists that recently celebrated its inaugural class with an exhibition running through July 1 at . Five Hite graduates participated in the聽program and exhibition: Miranda Becht (MFA 2017),聽Sandra Charles (BFA 2015),聽Rebecca Norton (BFA 2004), Cynthia Norton (MAT 2004) and Autumn Lindsey (BFA 2017).

Individuals who are part of the 鈥淎 Force for Good鈥� campaign were chosen via a nomination process and have been shown to “demonstrate their service to others and commitment to the community,” according to a press release.

The Community Foundation of Louisville describes Nu帽ez as someone who is 鈥渃ommitted to making higher education a more inclusive environment where students can celebrate their unique identities.鈥�

At UofL, Nu帽ez 鈥� a Bogota, Colombia, native聽鈥� works to support the needs of Latino students by managing scholarship funds and committees, providing culturally relevant programming, coaching and mentoring Latino students and communicating regularly with community partners.

鈥淲e do a lot of work around community engagement for Latino students and their families, sometimes before they鈥檙e even students here,鈥� Nu帽ez said. 鈥淚 do a lot of bridge building. It is not easy work, but it provides a better service for our students and their families, which is important.鈥�

Nu帽ez adds that this work is even more important now as Hispanic/Latino enrollment numbers continue to increase at UofL. The percentage of UofL students enrolled for the fall 2015 semester who identify as Hispanic/Latino was 4.03 percent in 2015. That number rose to 4.51 percent in 2016 and 4.88 percent in 2017. Retention rates for this demographic have increased from 75.2 percent (fall 2014 to fall 2015) to 80.2 percent (fall 2016 to fall 2017).

鈥淲e have close to 800 undergraduate students who are Latino. Of those, we offer a lot of cultural coaching. We also offer a Latino peer mentor program and we pair all incoming and transfer students with a peer mentor to help them with general questions and just connect them,鈥� Nu帽ez said.

Nu帽ez鈥檚 has an extensive list of priorities 鈥� shifting the culture, collaborating, programming, scholarship, raising money, investing. She says all of the work is critical.

鈥淲e do real, intentional, hard work every single day to bring the needs of our students to the surface. Now is the time more than ever with the Latino populations growing as fast as they are in this area,鈥� Nu帽ez said. 鈥淚t behooves us to do everything we can to make sure their needs are met, they have access to college and they鈥檙e successful in college.鈥�

Nu帽ez adds that her work at UofL is just getting started.

鈥淚 am proud of what we鈥檝e built so far, but we will continue to build on those successes,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen I look to the future, I have a lot of ideas.鈥�

In addition to her work at UofL, Nu帽ez also helps foster community engagement through the Louisville Latino 成人直播 Outreach Project, a team serving the education needs of Latino students. A vocal advocate for the Latino community and all people of color, she co-directs the Louisville Latino Oral History Project, and is a member of Mijente.

The billboard campaign launched March 19, and will remain on display until late April. Some of its locations include Frankfort Avenue, Spaghetti Junction and throughout West Louisville. More information about the campaign and the honorees is .听

The full list of billboard honorees:

• Karina Barillas, executive director of La Casita Center
• Raymond and Kim Burse, philanthropists supporting the Psi Boul茅 Fund and the Community Foundation鈥檚 African American Legacy Fund
• Jocelyn Church and Corey Nelson, directors of Grace Kids! A Church for Children
• Arthur Cox, executive director of St. George鈥檚 Scholar Institute
• Bert and Jane Emke, philanthropists supporting the National Council of Jewish Women鈥檚 (NCJW) Light the Way Fund and the Family Drug Treatment Court
• Jackie Floyd, community volunteer in the Russell neighborhood
• Mahogany Mayfield, co-founder of GLOW, Girls League of the West
• Andrew Noland, philanthropic supporter of various initiatives that remove barriers to education
• Sarah Nu帽ez, assistant director of the University of Louisville Cultural Center
• Moshe Ohayon, founder of 成人直播al Justice
• Mona Page, founder and executive director of Rhonda’s Another Chance Inc.
• Angela Renfro, executive director and founder of the Kristy Love Foundation
• Dr. Georgia Turner, director 2NOT1: Fatherhood & Families Inc.