Senior Jayden Ulrich is the first Cardinal track and field athlete to represent the U.S. at the Olympics. She’s competing in the womenā€™s discus throw.

ā€œI couldn’t be more excited to represent Team USA at the Olympic Games,” Ulrich said. “It means so much that all the work I’ve put in is finally paying off!ā€

She won her spot after finishing second in the discus throw at U.S. Olympic Team Trials with a throw of 63.61 meters in the preliminaries and a 62.63 toss in the finals.

Ulrich is the second female Olympian in the history of ±«“Ē“Ś³¢ā€™s track and field program after Chinwe Okoro ā€™11 competed in the women’s discus throw for Nigeria at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

UofL is well-represented in Paris, with current student-athletes and alums taking part in swimming, diving, golf and basketball competitions.

Swimming

• Junior Denis Loktev competes for Israel in the 200 free and the freestyle relays.
• Junior Denis Petrashov represents Kyrgyzstan in breaststroke events.
• Junior Murilo Sartori competes for Brazil on the 800 freestyle relay team.
• Graduate student Ilia Sibirtsev swims for Uzbekistan in the 800 free.
• Nicolas Albiero ā€™21,ā€™22 joins Sartori on the Brazilian team and competes in the 200 fly.
• Andrej Barna ā€™22 represents Serbia in freestyle events.
• Evgenii Somov ā€™22 was granted neutral status to swim at the games and competes in the 100 breast.
• Daria Golovaty, who will be a first-year student at UofL in fall 2024, swims for Israel in the 4×200 freestyle relay.

Diving

• Senior Else Praasterink competes in 10M platform for Netherlands.

Golf

• Matthias Schmid ā€™21 represents Germany.

Basketball

• Former menā€™s basketball player Carlik Jones represents South Sudan.

A few Cardinals also are working at the Olympics ā€“ associate head swimming coach Reed Fujan is coaching the Uzbekistan swimmers in Paris while former field hockey player Suzanne (Irwin) Bush ā€™06 joins the broadcast team as NBCā€™s field hockey analyst for the games. Kara Kessans ’03, a former women’s basketball player at UofL, is the head physical therapist and athletic trainer for the U.S. women’s national volleyball team.Ģż

The Paris Olympics run July 26-Aug. 11. Check for more information on Cardinal Olympians.

The vast majority ā€” ā€” of those athletes came from American colleges and universities, including several from the University of Louisville who traded their Cardinal red for red, white and blue.Ģż

This month, several Cardinals will also head to Paris to compete in the summer games.Ģż

So why do so many Olympic athletes come from academia? According to UofL researcher Meg Hancock, who studies college athletics, it comes down to the unique environment and resources available to college athletes that allow them to achieve an elite level of competition.Ģż

ā€œItā€™s a formula for success that starts with these bright, talented, ambitious students ā€” theyā€™re driven, both on the court and in the classroom, ā€ said Hancock, an associate professor at the UofL . ā€œWhen you take a great athlete, and support them with coaches, mentors, health experts and other resources only universities can offer, they become more and more competitive, even on an international stage.ā€

That ā€˜formulaā€™ is likely why more than 170 U.S. colleges and universities have produced Olympians, with UofL alone producing around 40 ā€” and some Olympic-level coaches ā€” since 1980. Those athletes, representing 20 different countries, competed in events as wide ranging as rugby, swimming and diving and track and field.

ā€œI think itā€™s phenomenal that we have folks who are competitive across that breadth,ā€ Hancock said. ā€œItā€™s an incredible opportunity for these student athletes to compete on a world stage and represent their home countries.ā€Ģż

UofL, she said, has taken a leading role in supporting student athletes and working to help them improve their Olympic chances. UofL and have been on the forefront in taking a holistic approach to athlete performance, including looking at playersā€™ physical, mental and nutritional health and that helps them minimize risk and improve their technique.

ā€œThat holistic approach is part of ±«“Ē“Ś³¢ā€™s strong commitment to the health, safety, and performance of all of our student athletes,ā€ said Pat Ivey, associate athletic director for student athlete health and performance. ā€œWe want to ensure that theyā€™re firing on all cylinders and on all fronts ā€” that weā€™re helping them achieve not only their athletic or Olympic aspirations, but overall wellbeing.ā€Ģż

UofL also offers student athletes access to a suite of trainers, health care experts and clinicians via its official care provider, . That care is unique among universities, Hancock said, because it puts heavy focus on mental and emotional health, with UofL Health for student athletes.Ģż

ā€œWe have built the nationā€™s largest team of mental health professionals with a focus on student-athletes. This commitment is directly enhancing individual and team performance in UofL sports,ā€ said Kate Oā€™Bryan, director of the UofL Athletics Mental Health and Performance Team, a partnership with UofL Health. ā€œThe integrated approach, alongside our other services in sport science, nutrition, athletic training, and sport performance, positions UofL Athletics as a leading model of high performance for other universities to emulate

Mental health has been a big part of the recent public discussion around Olympic athletic performance, especially since gymnast Simone Biles famously withdrew over concerns at the 2020 Tokyo Games. But even so, some surveys show think mental health is a priority for their athletics department.

ā€œTheyā€™re under a lot of pressure,ā€ Hancock said. ā€œUofL has worked to address that, and now, other colleges are seeing this as a model and thinking about the role mental health and mental performance play in athletics at this level. To compete in the Olympics, you have to consider the whole athlete.ā€Ģż

Of course, we’ve since learned the COVID-19 pandemic, and all of the uncertainties that come with it, remains. Still, 2021 seemed a little different. We know a little more about this virus, for example, and can make better mitigation efforts.

For UofL, that has meant a return to in-person operations while maintaining some hybrid elements. It meant masks and pop-up vaccination sites and plenty of continued mindfulness about safety. It meant a non-traditional raiseRED dance marathon, a livestreamed International Fashion Show and a Commencement ceremony at Cardinal Stadium for the first time ever.

In other words, it meant we carried on as a community ā€“ carefully, collaboratively ā€“ understanding that time doesnā€™t stop and neither do we. Our Cardinal spirit was on full display during 2020. In 2021, we brought that spirit to the next levelĢżā€“ achieving records and reaching milestones while illustrating that not even a lingering global pandemic can slow us down.

Here are just a few of the highlights from the past year to instill pride and to motivate us into 2022.

Pandemic-inspired

When the COVID-19 pandemic reached the U.S., UofL went to work with an all-hands-on-deck mentality, searching for solutions, helping others and creating effective workarounds. That mentality continued in 2021 and extended to our pedagogical efforts. Our online learning programs experienced a 40% growth in the face of the pandemic, for example, while our law and dental faculty received an international award for creating a novel online teaching method in these new times.

Outside of the classroom, when vaccinations became available in late 2020, our UofL Health team was the first to step up and get the injection to prove their safety and efficacy. And when the city rolled out mass vaccinations, our medical, nursing and public health students and faculty were on the front lines. Ģż

As new variants appear, our groundbreaking COVID-19 wastewater research continues to provide critical learnings and is now backed by a CDC grant for $8.6 million.

Our School of Medicine joined a handful of other organizations, including local activist Christopher 2Xā€™s nonprofit Game Changers, to launch a new campaign with a goal of ensuring all children have access to a face mask.

Diversity wins

Of course, our focus extends well beyond the pandemic. During summer 2020, former president Neeli Bendapudi announced a plan for UofL to become the premier antiracist metropolitan research university in the country. Several major steps have been taken since, including new hires and courses.

Thatā€™s just the tip of the iceberg. For the eighth year, UofL has been named a recipient of the Higher ³ÉČĖÖ±²„ Excellence in Diversity Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine, for example.Ģż

Toyota invested $1.7 million this year to increase opportunities for underrepresented students and assist them in earning engineering degrees at UofL. Further, the inaugural class of graduates from the Louisville Teacher Residency Program began their teaching careers with JCPS. The program is a collaboration between JCPS and the UofL College of ³ÉČĖÖ±²„ and Human Development to recruit more teachers of color. And, our Brandeis School of Law is addressing barriers to opportunities for lawyers of color in the underrepresented environmental law niche.

Notably, UofL recently opened a new Cultural and Equity Center, which brings together several offices that provide resources and create a sense of belonging for underrepresented students. The center is home to the Office of Diversity ³ÉČĖÖ±²„ and Inclusive Excellence, Cultural Center, LGBT Center, Muhammad Ali Institute for Peace and Justice and the Womenā€™s Center. Ģż

Research 1 Institution

UofL especially lived up to its status as a Carnegie-designated Research 1 institution this year, garnering a record-breaking $201.5 million in research funding for the fiscal year. This is more than $30 million over the previous record set a year earlier and supports work addressing some of the biggest global problems of our time. Our research literally spans the cosmos, and has yielded opportunities for education, training and policy development to address child trafficking in Kentucky; realized the health benefits of living in areas of high greenness;Ģżand turned invasive plant species that threaten local ecosystems into art.

Further, a team of UofL researchers is developing a pilot program for the city that will divert a portion of 911 calls to health, behavioral health and ancillary services. In March, the National Institutes of Health provided a $7.8 million grant to fund work at ±«“Ē“Ś³¢ā€™s Kentucky Spinal Cord Injury Research Center, in collaboration with Medtronic, to develop and test software applications designed for spinal cord injury. Not long after that, the NIH also provided UofL with an $11.3 million grant to support research into liver-related illness.

Donā€™t expect anyone at UofL to rest on research laurels, either. The Louisville Automation and Robotics Research Institute (LARRI) just opened a 10,000-square-foot space dedicated to research, education and collaboration in robotics, for example.ĢżResearchers from UofL are also working with Eli Lilly and Company in a clinical trial to determine whether its monoclonal antibody treatment, bamlanivimab, can reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in long-term care facilities.

Meanwhile, faculty in ±«“Ē“Ś³¢ā€™s College of ³ÉČĖÖ±²„ and Human Development are conducting research to help JCPS school leaders create systems and structures that allow for equitable experiences for students and staff, andĢżUofL andĢżLouisville Muhammad Ali International Airport (SDF)Ģżare collaborating on research that will enhance travelersā€™ experience and airport operations through innovation.ĢżĢż

This focus on research is reaping plenty of reward as evidenced by UofL-born startup Talaris Therapeuticsā€™ $150 million initial public offering earlier this year. Expect this momentum to continue, as UofL recently opened a new office, called UofL New Ventures, to help launch and grow startup companies built on university research and technologies.

Business and community

Beyond startup support, UofL has proven time and time again that we are dynamically connected to our community as a premier metropolitan university. There were plenty of supporting examples of this connection in 2021. For instance, Kosair Charities granted UofL $6.6 million to support childrenā€™s health efforts, including $5.5 million to fund the Kosair Charities Pediatric Neurorecovery Center for another 5 years.

Louisville-based Yum! Brands, one of the largest restaurant companies in the world, partnered with the UofL College of Business to create the Yum! Center for Global Franchise Excellence. The center provides education to future and existing franchising professionals, allowing underrepresented people of color and women to unlock opportunities to create generational wealth.

UofL received a five-year grant totaling $2 million to help minority-owned manufacturing businesses adopt additive manufacturing and 3D printing technology. The Plan Room, a new business accelerator created by OneWest to assist minority-owned construction companies in developing their businesses, began receiving support from theĢż.

Further, UofL and the U.S. Department of Defenseā€™s National Security Innovation Network entered into an agreement that solidifies collaboration among DoD end-users, UofL students and faculty and Metro Louisvilleā€™s early-stage venture community.

And, UofL is one of 32 universities nationwide participating in a U.S. Department of Energy program to help manufacturers in the region improve their energy efficiency. UofL will receive $2.2 million of a $60 million investment in the current cohort of DOE Industrial Assessment Centers program.

Student success

Our students have also proved theyā€™re exceptionally resilient this year, creating change, contributing to innovation and generally just kicking some you-know-what. UofL continued its track record as an institution rife with prestigious scholars, for example, generating more Fulbright scholars than all Kentucky public higher education institutions combined.

In addition, the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, awarded to one college junior in Kentucky each year, went to triple-major Lexi Raikes (English, French, political science), who planned to use the $30,000 scholarship to attend Georgetown University in Washington, D.C.

Ten students in Professor Chris Reitzā€™s Art and Activism seminar created the ā€œPromise, Witness, Remembranceā€ exhibition honoring Breonna Taylor. The exhibition was featured at the Speed Art Museum in the spring.

Two Speed students, Jorge Sanchez and Mercedes Pastor, finished second at an international simulation competition, while music major Benjamin Carterā€™s ā€œA Winter Nightā€ helped earn him the 2021 Kentucky Music Educators Association Composition Award, andĢżSophomore Rawan Saleh was recognized as a top 20 under 20 from the Arab American Foundation for her work to end racism.

A UofL student startup aimed at fighting cancer and led by MD/PhD student Jordan NoeĢż won the inaugural CardStart Innovation competition. The startup is developing a new cell-based therapy for the treatment of aggressive solid tumors.

±«“Ē“Ś³¢ā€™s Cardinal Battalion Ranger Team finished in the top 10 at the Sandhurst Military Skills Competition. Additionally, nearly 50% of the class earned an ā€œoutstandingā€ ranking at Cadet Summer Training, which means theyā€™re ranked in the top 15% of cadets in the country.

A group of UofL undergraduate students is focused on closing what it calls ā€œthe perception gapā€ through the launch of a new, nonpartisan online magazine. The is modeled after the Harvard Political Review.

A UofL-based Unified Sports basketball team has been selected to represent the state as part of Team Kentucky at the 2022 Special Olympics Games in June. The team combines traditional Special Olympics athletes with teammates who do not have an intellectual disability. It is the first unified team that Special Olympics Kentucky has ever sent to a USA Games.

Our student-athletes achieved a 91% graduation rate this year, matching the Cardinalsā€™ best mark in the Graduation Success Rate report developed 17 years ago by the NCAA. Outside of the classroom, we sent 10 athletes to the Tokyo Olympic Games; Catcher Henry Davis became overall draft pick in the Major League Baseball Draft; our spirit squad won its seventh consecutive national title; and our volleyball team has been ranked No. 1 for much of the season while remaining unbeaten and headed to the Final Four. Further, six of our student-athletes earned a Top 6 for Service award for their community service efforts and our entire athletics department finished second among all Division I NCAA institutions for the Team Works Service Challenge.

Accolades

The accolades certainly didn’t stop on the athletic field. In 2021, UofL was named one of the most ā€œtransfer-friendlyā€ schools in the U.S., for example.Ģż

±«“Ē“Ś³¢ā€™s fully online programs were also acknowledged by U.S. News & World Report to be among some of the top education opportunities for online students in 2021 across the following categories: Online Bachelorā€™s, Online Bachelorā€™s Psychology, Online Graduate Criminal Justice, Online Graduate ³ÉČĖÖ±²„ and Online Graduate Engineering.Ģż

For the 12th consecutive year, UofL was recognized for its commitment to serving military-connected students by earning ā€œ2021-2022 Military Friendlyā€ institution designation. UofL was one of only 29 Carnegie Designated Tier 1 Research institutions in the nation to earn the designation.

And in September, UofL once again held onto its spot as the top-ranked Kentucky college or university in Sierra Magazineā€™s 15^th Annual ā€œCool Schoolsā€ rankings.

A bright future ahead

If weā€™re able to accomplish all of this in a global pandemic, imagine what’s next for UofL. The future is undoubtedly bright, particularly as the Belknap Campus continues its transformation and prepares for new residence halls to open soon. Designed with input from student advisors, the halls create a modern experience aimed at helping students achieve success and providing them with a great place to learn.

Weā€™re also positioned well as a great place in which to invest. Raise Some L, ±«“Ē“Ś³¢ā€™s annual day of giving, drew support this year from a record number of donors, including Cardinal fans in all 50 states for the first time. Together, these donors have pledged to fund education, research and community engagement efforts throughout the university.

And we’ve put in the work to ensure we’re a great place to work. UofL recently launched a new Employee Success Center, providing employees with professional development opportunities, onboarding, mentoring, workshops and other engaging initiatives and programs.

Bendapudi announced Dec. 9 that she was leaving to take the same role at Penn State University. Provost Lori Gonzalez has been named interim president, while Josh Heird has been named interim athletic director. We are starting the new year with new leadership and with that comes new opportunities. And, as weā€™ve especially proven these past two years, nothing can stop us.

While many watching the Games are fans of specific sports or athletes (UofL has 10 current or former students competing in Tokyo), other viewers simply enjoy the fun of the competition.

Few, however, know more about the work that goes into organizing an Olympic or Paralympic Games than UofL professor Mary Hums.

A professor of sport administration from the College of ³ÉČĖÖ±²„ and Human Development, Hums has spent the majority of her career researching, watching and participating in international sport.Ģż

ā€œI’ve worked for the Paralympic Games (in 1996, 2002, 2004, and 2010), one Pan American Games, and one Olympic Games,ā€ she said.

In 2006, Hums was selected by the United States Olympic Committee to represent the U.S. at the International Olympic Academy Educators Session in Olympia, Greece.

ā€œI took a sabbatical and moved for six months to Greece, which was where I was able to work on both the Olympic and Paralympic side,ā€ she said.Ģż

There as a researcher and educator, Hums was active in event operations for softball as well.

ā€œI did a lot of work in the office with organizing and daily scheduling activities,ā€ she said. ā€œDuring the games, my job was as a groundskeeper. For every single softball game of the 2004 Summer Olympics, I made the batterā€™s boxes. This was in addition to my daily responsibilities of maintaining the training facilities and competition field, but my primary responsibility was making the batterā€™s boxes for each game.ā€

Hums stayed on following the conclusion of the Olympic Games as the sports information director for the Paralympic sport of Goalball, a team competition designed for the visually impaired. After the Paralympic Games ended, Hums returned to the States.Ģż

Hums, whose research centers on sport and human rights as well as the inclusion of people with disabilities, women and racial/ethnic minorities in the management of sport, believes this yearā€™s games will be set apart from years past for a number of reasons. Delayed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, competitors have also become more vocal about social issues and change.

ā€œThatā€™s a pretty hot button topic right now ā€¦ how much of a voice athletes are going to be able to have in terms of making personal statements about social issuesā€ Hums said.

As a co-coordinator of the in conjunction with the Muhammad Ali Center, Hums works to amplify the voices of athletes in social change. Through Rule 50, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) prohibits demonstrations, along with political or religious propaganda at Olympic sites and venues.Ģż

ā€œThe whole premise of these rules is that the Games are not to be politicized. And yet sport is and has always been political,” she said. “People say, ā€˜I donā€™t want my sports to be political,ā€™ or ā€˜athletes should shut up and dribble.ā€™ But, even from the ancient Olympic Games when people came in from the warring city-states and competed with one another, it has been political.ā€

The rule has come under increasing scrutiny in the months leading up to the Olympic Games, and it is one Hums believes will be in popular conversation as athletes increasingly make political statements.

ā€œNational and international sport governing bodies are grappling with how to respond in a way they feel is appropriate. Itā€™s very interesting,ā€ Hums said. ā€œAthletes certainly do not leave their rights at the starting line.ā€

ā€œI think sport has the power to do three things: to inform, to empower, and to transform. And it goes in that order. So that’s why it’s taking front and center right now with the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. I think that [social statements] are here to stay as long as it takes for social change to happen,ā€ she said.

As for sports and athletes to watch over the course of the 2020 Tokyo Games, Hums has a rather nontraditional recommendation.

ā€œWomenā€™s field hockey,ā€ she said. ā€œNot only is one of the elite goalkeepers in womenā€™s field hockey an alumni of UofL ( but itā€™s also a sport I played as goalie for four years as an undergraduate at Notre Dame.ā€

For the Paralympic Games, Hums recommends tuning into the cycling events, in which Louisville native and ESPY Award finalist Oksana Masters will compete.

You can learn more about Mary Hums and her work .Ģż

After completing undergraduate studies at Indiana University, where he was part of the top-ranked menā€™s swimming team, Tavčar started dental school at ULSD in 2018. He says a career in dentistry is a natural fit for his personality.

ā€œI love meeting people from all walks of life and getting to help them with their problems,ā€ he said. ā€œIn addition, I love the dynamic nature of dentistry. There are so many different procedures you can do, there are different ways you can go about the same procedure and there is always more to learn. The amount of knowledge there is in dentistry is a bottomless pit, and I love diving into it head first.ā€

Although it might not seem like competitive swimming and dentistry have much in common, Tavčar sees a link: ā€œOne of the main things that differentiates great athletes from the herd is that you actively think about what youā€™re doing and trying to improve yourself every single day, rather than just going through the motions. Dentistry follows a similar pattern.ā€

Years of competitive swimming also prepared Tavčar for the rigors of dental school.

ā€œIt taught me how hard work and repetition go a long way. When youā€™re trying to shave a tenth of a second off of your time, you have to repeat the swim over and over again and look at each one of them in an excruciating amount of detail,” he said.Ģż “On my way to becoming a dentist, I translate what swimming has taught me in knowing that repetition is key.ā€

As for this yearā€™s Olympics, Tavčar will not be glued to the TV screen watching coverage from Toyko over the next two weeks.

ā€œI find most sports boring to watch,” he said. “Competing at a sport and watching one are very different.ā€ However, he might tune in for one event, the menā€™s 100 freestyle, ā€œjust to see how my personal best time stacks up with this yearā€™s competition.ā€

After graduating with a Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry degree next spring, Tavčar does not plan to return to Slovenia.

ā€œI have been in the states for 8 years now, have gotten married and created a life for myself. While I love my home country, thereā€™s no reason for me to walk away from everything I worked so hard to build here,ā€ he said.Ģż

He might even stay at ULSD a bit longer, extending his training through the general practice residency.

ā€œThere is more to dentistry than I ever could have imagined, and I believe I owe it to my future patients to educate myself to the highest level possible,” he said. “I donā€™t just want to be a dentist. I want to be a great dentist.ā€

To keep our New Year-induced optimism strong, the Courier Journal has identified 20 of the ā€œmost influential peopleā€ in Kentucky to watch this year, a list featuring many familiar faces from UofL.

That includes President Neeli Bendapudi.

The ā€œhasnā€™t shied away from making high-profile, high-stakes decisions, including the admittedly risky move in 2019 ā€“ with the support of ±«“Ē“Ś³¢ā€™s trustees ā€“ to acquire the financially struggling Jewish Hospital as well as other local KentuckyOne Health facilities.ā€

The publication also highlights Bendapudiā€™s efforts toward eliminating barriers to student success.

ā€œIn 2020, you can expect us to not rest on our laurels but to continue driving forward toward our goal of being an even greater place to learn, to work and in which to invest. In the new year, we will increase our focus on experiential learning, student mental health and providing greater access to student financial aid,ā€ the president told the publication.

Also recognized is Daniel Cameron, who made history last year when he became Kentuckyā€™s first black attorney general. Cameron graduated from UofL with a bachelor of science degree in 2008 and then from the Brandeis School of Law in 2011. Cameron played on the UofL football team during his time as an undergraduate.

He is expected to be offered a prime-time speaking slot at the August 2020 Republican National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, and has already been considered as a potential U.S. Senate candidate in 2026.

Kevin Cogan, chairman and CEO of the Jefferson Development Group, is also one to watch as his company is leading the development of the One Park project. According to the publication, Cogan, a UofL graduate, has pushed for years for approval of the $200 million-plus mixed-use development to ā€œtransform the 3.5-acre triangle near Cherokee Park.ā€

In 2016, around the world tuned into the Rio de Janiero Summer Olympics. Thereā€™s no reason to believe that number will be much different this summer during the 2020 Tokyo Games and one of the story lines those viewers could witness is that of 2019 UofL graduate Mallory Comerford.

Comerford is a member of the USA Swimming National Team and a four-time NCAA gold medalist. As the publication notes, ā€œall of Comerfordā€™s accomplishments have been building toward the 2020 Olympics Games in Tokyo.ā€ Her first step? Getting through the Olympic Trials in Omaha, June 21-28.

Dr. Melissa Currie, chief of the UofL Division of Forensic Pediatrics, oversees the stateā€™s most severe cases of suspected child abuse. The Courier Journal acknowledges her unique position in 2020 as Kentucky has the highest rate of child abuse and neglect in the country.

The story notes, ā€œCurrie, as a founding member of the Kosair Charities Face It campaign to eliminate child abuse in the region, will continue to work with the group to expand efforts to educate the public about the warning signs of abuse. She is also a key member of the independent panel that will continue to look for ways to reduce child abuse deaths and injuries.ā€ ĢżĢż

The Family Scholar House is a statewide entity that provides stable housing and child care while single parents earn college degrees. Five Family Scholar House campuses have housed over 500 people who have earned their degrees while in the program. The original FSH opened in 2008 in partnership with ±«“Ē“Ś³¢ā€™s College of ³ÉČĖÖ±²„ and Human Development.

The Courier Journal expects 2020 to be a big year for FSH, with the potential of over 100 scholars graduating in a single year for the first time. Accordingly, the publication recognized CEO and president Cathe Dykstra as a person to watch.

This year, Matt Gibson officially assumed the role of CEO and president of the Kentucky Derby Festival. The organization manages more than 70 community events starting in April with Thunder Over Louisville. Gibson, a UofL graduate, is the first new CEO for the organization in more than 20 years.

Treva Hodges, mayor of Charlestown, Indiana, is the first female mayor of any city or town in Clark County. The 40 year old also completed her PhD in Comparative Humanities at UofL in July 2019. Among her goals for the town of 8,000 residents: to make it more financially transparent.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell graduated with honors from the University of Louisville in 1964 with a major in political science and served as president of the student body. He founded the McConnell Center in 1991 based on his belief that ā€œKentuckyā€™s future depends on inspiring talented, motivated leaders.ā€ The center pursues its mission through the McConnell Scholars program, public lecture series, civic education program, military education program and the Senator Mitch McConnell and Secretary Elaine L. Chao Archives.

The Courier Journal notes that 2020 is important for McConnell because it will be up to him and the Senate to facilitate a trial to decide whether or not recently impeached President Donald Trump stays in office. McConnell, who is the longest-serving U.S. senator in Kentuckyā€™s history, is also up for re-election in the fall.

At the Olympic Swimming Trials this week in Omaha, Nebraska, Worrell pulled off a bit of an upset over Olympic veteran and 2012 gold medalist Dana Vollmer to win the 100 butterfly and punch her ticket to the Olympic Games in Rio in August. With her 100 butterfly victory, Worrell will also swim the third leg on the U.S. medley relay team.

She is the first Cardinal swimmer to ever qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team, and the second UofL athlete to represent the U.S. at these Games, along with now-WNBA player Angel McCoughtry.

During a after Monday nightā€™s swim, Worrell said, ā€œI donā€™t know if everythingā€™s really sunk in, but Iā€™m really excited and I have this huge relief off my shoulders ā€¦ I wasnā€™t expecting to touch first so that was emotional; a dream come true.ā€

Worrell will also swim the 200 butterfly, 50 and 100 freestyle during the Olympic Trials this week. She is ranked third, fifth and seventh, respectively, in those events.

Prior to securing her status as an Olympian, the Mt. Holly, New Jersey, native established a long list of swimming and academic accomplishments. For starters, she is a four-time NCAA champion, an NCAA record holder, ACC Swimmer of the Year, Pan Am gold medalist, Arena Pro Series gold medalist, Honda Spirit Award winner, and two-time ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

The Olympics are Aug. 5-21 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Swimming starts Aug. 6 and runs through Aug. 13.

UofL had 34 swimmers qualify for the Olympic Trials and is also sending swimmers Grigory Tarasevich (Russia), Joao De Lucca (Brazil), Marcelo Acosta (El Salvador), Carlos Claverie (Venezuela) and Tanja Kylliainen (Finland) to Rio. , Cardinal swimmers Alina Kendzior (Estonia) and Andrea Kneppers (Netherlands) are ā€œon the bubble.ā€

Get to know more about Kelsi Worrell below:Ģż