Since 2003, UofL has produced 159 Fulbright scholars, more than all other Kentucky public institutions combined, and has been named a top producer of Fulbrights in the United States seven times.

“UofL student scholars continue to successfully position themselves through Fulbrights and other prestigious scholarships to become the next world leaders,” said Lori Gonzalez, interim UofL president. “These scholarship experiences are invaluable in an era of increasing global awareness and dependence. Our students are showing they can successfully compete on a scale that goes far beyond our city and Commonwealth and that they will affect positive change for generations to come.”

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers research, study and teaching opportunities in over 140 countries to recent graduates and graduate students. Administered in the U.S. by the Department of State’s Bureau of łÉČËÖ±˛Ąal and Cultural Affairs, the Fulbright program was established in 1946 to promote international goodwill through education and cultural exchange.

This year’s Fulbright winners represent the College of Arts & Sciences, the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, the College of Business and the School of Medicine. They are:

• Leen Abozaid: English Teaching Assistantship, JordanĚý
• Reese Bergschneider: English Teaching Assistantship, IndonesiaĚý
• Katya Kovatsenko: English Teaching Assistantship, BulgariaĚý
• Henrietta (Henny) Ransdell: English Teaching Assistantship, ThailandĚý
• Lauren Reuss: English Teaching Assistantship, ThailandĚý
• Jessica (Jesse) Sanders: English Teaching Assistantship, Thailand
• Farhiya Shaban: English Teaching Assistantship, BahrainĚý
• Emily Spicer: Research, Czech RepublicĚý
• Kathryn VanderEspt: Research, Slovenia

“I am thrilled to see so many outstanding Cardinals receiving national recognition for their accomplishments—and to know these young researchers, educators and advocates are just getting started,” said Bethany Smith of the National and International Scholarships office. “UofL has a lot to celebrate in our exceptional students, as well as the supportive, involved faculty and staff mentors who help make these successes possible.”Ěý

The university previously announced the following prestigious scholarships:

• Ben Anderson, who graduated from UofL in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, was awarded a 2022 .Ěý
• Cornelius Sanford, who graduated from UofL in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and pan-African studies, won a 2022 .
• University of Louisville senior Samuel Kessler has earned a .
• Three University of Louisville juniors conducting undergraduate research in breast cancer, galaxies and robotics won 2022 , marking the largest number of recipients from UofL in a single year.Ěý

For more information, visit .

The Mitchell Scholarship program sends future American leaders to Ireland for a year of graduate study and is one of Ireland’s most significant scholarship programs. The US-Ireland Alliance announced in November that Kessler, who will graduate in spring 2022 with an individualized major degree, was one of 12 chosen out of 351 applications for the class of 2023.

“I owe a lot of credit to the academic and co-curricular experiences I’ve had at UofL, the way that campus yields itself to having an entrepreneurial spirit, and to those who have helped my growth as a scholar who believes in the importance of harnessing the power of ideas to solve problems in the real world,” Kessler said.

The Mitchell Scholarship is one of the three “Big Brit” awards that also include the Rhodes Scholarship and the Marshall Scholarship. Kessler, of Campbellsville, Kentucky, plans to attend University College Dublin, where he will study public policy with a goal of tackling climate policy challenges behind sustainable development in natural resources and energy. He will graduate from UofL in May with a bachelor of science in applied geography and an individualized liberal studies bachelor’s of art in public policy and environmental mitigation.

Kessler has been recognized for developments in water sampling with the Kentucky Institute for the Environment & Sustainable Development and holds a patent pending with the U.S. Geological Survey. Another of Kessler’s interests has been in renewable energy, and he has worked with the Conn Center for Renewable Energy Research in the J.B. Speed School of Engineering to research using peat moss as a lower-carbon energy source.

He co-founded UofL’s first peer-reviewed journal for undergraduate student research and founded a nonprofit public-policy think tank that helped draft a bill related to the environmental economics of Kentucky’s bourbon industry.

“Sam’s intellectual breadth and indefatigable energy make him stand out in any crowd,” said Bethany Smith of UofL’s office of national and international scholarships. “I’m proud of all he has accomplished and delighted to see the Mitchell Scholarship recognize, and invest in, his potential to do even more.”

Kessler is the university’s second-ever Mitchell Scholar. The first was in 2017.