Read about in the latest edition of , along with other stories that illustrate how UofL’s alums, students, faculty and staff are making their mark.   

• : Alumna Frankie Lewis ’11 returns from “Project Runway” to brighten up Louisville.
• : It’s The Thinker’s 70^th anniversary on campus. Find out where UofL students think the university will be in the next seven decades.
• : Cardinal connections litter the city’s revitalized waterfront

Frankie Lewis is a self-trained fashion designer whose impressive resume includes working on costumes for the Louisville Ballet and P!nk’s Beautiful Trauma Tour. She has been a featured designer on the KMAC Couture: Art Walks the Runway show and has founded her own company, Ann DeEvelyn Clothing. A Louisville native, Los Angeles is her new home base, but she travels frequently to the city where it all started for her.

“I hope Card Nation is proud of me,” Frankie wrote in an email.

Frankie credits UofL, and especially the place she calls, “The Shop,” with launching her career. She graduated in 2010 with a bachelor of science degree in theater with a focus on acting and costume design/construction.

“The theater department at UofL has amazing opportunities for students, one of them being the costume shop,” she said. “There I was able to learn valuable skills that have led to so many opportunities. The relationships I’ve made there will be ones that I keep the rest of my life.”

It was her network of UofL friends and colleagues that helped Frankie land both the ballet and P!nk jobs.

“‘The Shop,’ as I call it, functions like a family,” she said, “in that different generations of students look out for or seek help from other generations. My first employee was a costume shop graduate who I never shared any actual school time with.”

Frankie said she always dreamed of being on “Project Runway,” which is in its 17th season (). She is one of 16 designers competing for the largest cash prize in the show’s history at more than $250,000.

“I’ve always dreamed of being on ‘Project Runway,’ and when I received the official call that I was chosen this year, I cried and thanked God,” she said. “My family and close friends and I are going to hang out on the couch and watch together.”

and check out her designs on and her Instagram account, @frankiee_leww. Catch the 90-minute “Project Runway” on Bravo at 8 p.m. EST.

As UofL’s Associate Director for Operations and Facility Services, it’s his job to serve students. But it’s also his passion, and he’s found additional, unique ways to reach out to students and help them be their best selves.

In 2015, he founded the , “the first group of its kind to ‘pump and strut’ across the campus of UofL,” he said.

Since then, the organization has become a visible part of campus life, participating in such signature campus events as the and . The organization is now planning a modeling clinic open to the public.

“Cultivating a presence within the greater Louisville community is very important,” he said.

Medley, who is from Chatham, Virginia, tells his BMFT students “confidence and beauty lies within,” a motto he models daily. He’s always the most dapper dressed in a room and addresses others with a cultivated charm. Everyone is “Mr.” and “Ms.” in his vernacular.

He graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor of psychology and a MA in education with a cognate in multiculturalism.

Medley stopped in to UofL News recently to tell us more about BMFT and his thoughts on student involvement and community service.

UofL News: What exactly is BMFT?

Medley: The organization presents the art form of collegiate modeling with its origins at historically black colleges and universities. The integration of traditional runway modeling within the framework of African American culture embodying music, footwork technique and dance sets the stage for an electrifying experience. BMFT is identified via the colors emerald green and old gold, the lion/lioness mascot and motto “Elevate Yourself.”

This organization has become an important part of my identity at the university and within the city. I am fortunate to have 40-plus students on this campus know without a doubt that Medley will challenge and support them to be their best self.

UofL News: What motivated you to start this group?  

Medley: I have been fortunate to have the opportunity of connecting my passion for the performing arts and fashion to my professional work and community outreach. As a toddler, I watched my mother play the piano and sing in the church choir. When I entered the second grade she became the elementary cheerleading coach. These early years became the framework by which I evolved into the person before you today. As a lover of the performing arts, I am a classical and jazz vocalist, play trombone, piano and drums. I also volunteer within the world of pageantry as a coach and mentor with the Miss America Organization, Miss USA and Miss Black USA Organization. Continuing with my support of the arts, I have advised a university gospel choir and an all-male Athletic Division I cheer/spirit squad. 

Upon my arrival to UofL, I personally felt a void with my connection to students of color. After speaking with several students, I realized that there were not many performing arts organization/styles outside of stepping within the NPHC organizations. I began to dialogue with Ms. Julie Onnembo and Tierney Bates in Student Affairs about the tools/skills to create and sustain a student organization. With their support, I was able to create the foundation for an entity like no other at the institution.

UofL News: What does this kind of student involvement mean to you?

Medley: My long-term involvement in community outreach has been integrated into my work environment and experience at each institution within my career. I am a believer that students should be engaged and connected to their institution in a manner whereby they are not only receiving, but also giving. Student organizations have the ability to be a major connector for students within their campus. They have the ability to give so much to a student’s collegiate experience and become part of the institution’s brand and identity.  I ask my student leaders consistently: how are they relevant within the space they live and breathe? What is their purpose?

Learn more about BMFT on ���Ի���.

The 16th annual International Fashion Show, sponsored by the Student Activities Board, will be held in the Student Activities Center east courts. The theme for this year’s event is “Bloom: The Awakening of Cultures.” The show will feature more than 100 models wearing attire that represents cultures from around the world. Attire is loaned from local designers and boutiques including: Francesca’s, Peach Soul, Blush Boutique and more.

For the chair of the Student Activities Board Diversity Committee and planner of this year’s show, Joseph Holland, the event is about much more than just fashion and dance.

“This event promotes the interaction of many cultural organizations and it impacts the inclusivity on campus long after the fashion show,” Holland said. “Organizations are more likely to collaborate with each other, which leads to diverse campus leaders including each other in planning and work. We’re all able to share this common space for the night and it has impact way past that night.”

A variety of student groups will perform in the show including the Indian, African, Vietnamese and Muslim student associations, the Dazzling Cardettes, Shades of Movement and the BourGeoiSie Modeling & Fashion Troupe.

There are several new and unique features this year. University student soloists will perform original pieces. There will also be a live band and a more interactive theme that holds a special surprise for attendees.

“We wanted to capture the idea behind going through seasonal changes and after every winter there is rebirth and growth and we wanted to compare that to cultural growth and understanding and appreciating the growth of cultures,” Holland said. “This is a way to celebrate each other and what it means to be immersed in a culture other than your own.”

The event begins at 7 p.m. with food. The performances begin at 8 p.m.

Presale tickets are $5 for UofL students with university ID and $8 for the community. Tickets purchased at the door will be $7 for students and $10 for the community. Tickets are available for purchase in the student involvement office at the Student Activities Center.

for more photos from the 2017 show.