Happily, with students and alumni earning 10 Fulbrights, five Critical Language Scholarships, three Boren Scholarships, two Public Policy and International Affairs Program Fellowships and one Rotary Global Grant Scholarship.

“This is certainly exciting news for our institution,” UofL President Neeli Bendapudi said. “But what’s even more important, these prestigious awards are a perfect example of how our campus community puts students first. If you read the web page profiles on these award-winning scholars, you will see many examples of how our faculty, staff and administrators have inspired and mentored students on their academic journey. That’s something that really sets UofL apart from other institutions.”

Recent graduate , who earned a Fulbright, said UofL’s culture supports students who seek academia’s top awards.

“UofL introduced me to research opportunities,” said Udoh. “Being in the honors program — they let you know what opportunities you can pursue. They helped me believe in myself.”

Another Fulbright winner and recent graduate, , said her first meeting with, who heads the national and international scholarship program, was when Jacobs was a sophomore.

“Ever since then, she has given me straightforward and honest advice on how to improve my application. It is evident she cared for my and other students’ dreams as she consistently organized and led workshops for Fulbright throughout the year,” Jacobs said.

Including this year, there have been 120 UofL Fulbright scholars since 2003 — more than all other Kentucky public institutions combined. The university set a record in 2016 with 15 scholars, besting the previous record of 14 scholars in 2010 and again in 2011.

During an event to celebrate the 2018 scholars, Acting Provost Dale Billingsley told attendees that students are the “beneficiaries of the steadily higher arc of performance” in the scholarship program. He thanked Condon and her colleagues Bethany Smith and Dr. Charlie Leonard for their many hours of work to help scholarship applicants.��

“We have an incredible team at this university,” said Condon. “Without the help of Bethany and Charlie and the ongoing support of the honors program, university administrators, and the specialized faculty mentors, we simply couldn’t have had such resounding success.”

Here are a few interesting tidbits about this year’s honorees:

• All of the winners are from Kentucky.
• Six scholars were named as Fulbright alternates. That means they could still receive the prize if more funding becomes available or if a finalist declines the award.
• Fulbright winners Christian Bush, Robert Gassman and Kyle Hilbrecht have a lot in common: they are all from Louisville, were college roommates, political science majors and will teach in Asia as part of their award.
• Three of the Critical Language Scholars — Tasneem Karim, Lance Gibson and Nada Kaissieh—credit Professor for igniting their interest in Arabic. Almousily was recognized in 2016 for inspiring four students to study Arabic and earn a CLS award.

Full profiles of UofL’s 2018 scholars are .��

tried three times to earn a prestigious Fulbright scholarship. In early September, her diligence was rewarded: she learned she was selected for the prize and will spend most of 2018 in Brazil as an English teaching assistant at a public university.

“Receiving the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant to Brazil means more to me than words can adequately express,” Williams said. “I have had this personal goal and dream to live and teach in Brazil for over four or five years now and now knowing my goal has been realized is indescribable.”

Williams first applied for a Fulbright in 2015 when she was a college senior. Although she wasn’t selected for the award that year, she had an impressive back up plan — teach for the Spanish government in Madrid. She did that for two years.

She returned to Kentucky in July and has been working with a law firm that focuses on immigration law. But her stay in Kentucky will be short. She begins her stint as a Fulbright scholar in February.

Patricia Condon, who heads the national and international scholarship program at UofL, said candidates often apply multiple times for the scholarship.

“People typically think of a Fulbright award going to an undergraduate college student the same year as they finish their degree,” Condon said. “But a student who has graduated can continue to apply each year and there’s no age limit for the award.”

Williams brings the number of 2017 to six. Since 2003 the university has had 110 Fulbright scholars, more than all other Kentucky public institutions combined.

A graduate of the College of Arts and Sciences with degrees in Spanish, political science and Latin American and Latino studies, Williams is the daughter of Debbie and Jerry Williams of Villa Hills. She graduated from Notre Dame Academy high school in Park Hills.

She said she plans to use some of her time in Brazil to get involved with the community and host weekly English workshops at primary-level schools.

“I am incredibly excited to return to Brazil and to work in a university setting, meanwhile improving my Portuguese skills as well. To me, this opportunity shows the reward of hard work, persistence, dedication, and a little bit of good luck. It also shows what great mentors, professors and supporters I have had as a young adult,” Williams said.

The scholars have reached semifinalist status, which means they have been recommended to their host countries by a Fulbright screening committee and their chances of getting the award are high. That’s according to Patricia Condon, who heads the national and international scholarship program at UofL.

“To be named a semifinalist is a tremendous and resume-changing accomplishment,” Condon said. “Most of the candidates will know by the end of May whether they have been selected.”

In 2016, UofL had 15 Fulbright scholars, a that earned the institution a place on the Chronicle of Higher ����ֱ��’s for the esteemed prize. Since 2003 UofL has produced 104 Fulbright scholars, more than all other Kentucky public colleges combined.

UofL has been on the top producer list four times in the last 10 years and has the highest success rate among research institutions.

The semifinalists for 2017-2018 are shown below, organized by type of award.

English teaching assistant scholarship:

• Perrin Bailey, Frankfort, senior liberal studies major; Cyprus
• Jeremy Ball, Manchester, senior political science and economics major; Malaysia
• Dzemila Bilanovic, Louisville, anthropology alumna; Germany
• Alex Stewart, Louisville, senior biology major; Poland
• Kara Stivers, Louisville, political science alumna; Georgia
• Hannah Touchton, Ashland, social work alumna; Malaysia
• James Logan Zechella, Alexandria, senior biology and Spanish major; Columbia

Graduate student and research scholarship:

• Kristen Connors, Louisville, anthropology and Spanish alumna and nursing graduate student; United Kingdom-England
• Philip Dennison, Louisville, political science and French alumnus; Kazakhstan
• Jordan Maiden, Dickson, Tennessee, national resource management and policy alumnus; Malawi
• Vicki Searl, Rineyville, music performance graduate student; United Kingdom-Wales
• Hung Ryan Vuong, New Albany, Indiana, senior biochemistry major; Switzerland

“The Fulbright is an incredible opportunity to not only share in other cultures, but to also share my culture with others,” said 2015 alumna Kara Stivers, who has applied for a Fulbright teaching position in the Republic of Georgia. “I look forward to the friendships I will develop and the exchange of ideas.”

What’s more, UofL had the highest success rate among U.S. research universities on the of top producers for 2016-2017, which was released Feb. 21 by the Fulbright organization and published by the Chronicle of Higher ����ֱ��. Of the 30 student applicants, 50 percent won the award — far better than any other research institution on the list.

Since 2003, there have been 104 UofL Fulbright scholars — more than all other Kentucky public universities combined. The university set a last year with 15 scholars, besting the previous record of 14 scholars in 2010 and again in 2011.

“Our campus culture has become well-attuned to identifying and mentoring top scholars,” said Interim President Greg Postel. “By earning this distinction, UofL is on par with some of the nation’s most esteemed universities.”

“Our students, alumni, faculty, staff and community have all been enthusiastic about spreading the word about the Fulbrights,” said Patricia Condon, who heads the university’s National and International Scholarship Opportunities office. “That word-of-mouth endorsement has been powerful. We even have prospective students asking specifically about the Fulbright Award and how they can prepare for it.”

University officials said that 23 have applied for this year’s competition and a dozen have made it to the semifinal phase. Final selections are made by each country and are typically announced in the spring and early summer.

The Fulbright program is sponsored by the U. S. Department of State’s Bureau of ����ֱ��al and Cultural Affairs and promotes cultural exchanges with more than 140 countries.

Watch more about UofL’s scholar “culture” below:��

“This is a fantastic milestone for our campus community,” said UofL Acting President Neville Pinto. “It’s gratifying to know that we are giving our students and alumni the tools they need to win these prestigious international scholarships.”

Since 2003, UofL has had 104 Fulbrights, more than all other Kentucky public colleges combined. The 15-scholars-in-one-year landmark is especially significant because it breaks the 14-scholars-in-one-year threshold and means that the university could�� be named a top Fulbright-producing institution.

Perez graduated from the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development in May with a master’s degree in teaching. As a Fulbright, he will teach English in Brazil starting in February 2017. He is from Richmond, Virginia, earned his undergraduate degree in 2014 from University of Richmond, and is currently a teacher for Jefferson County Public Schools’ South Park Teenage Parent Program, Fairdale. He chose the CEHD for his graduate degree when he moved to Louisville as part of .

Patricia Condon, who heads the national and international scholarship program at UofL, said, “I wish we could clone Jonathan. He is innovative, engaging and inspiring and will be a wonderful teacher and ambassador. He ideally represents how diverse America is today.”

Guatemalan-born Perez said the scholarship will give him an opportunity to explore his Hispanic heritage.

“The Fulbright grant will expose me to educational opportunities that will strengthen my cultural connection and provide an enhanced view of the world in which I want to make a difference,” he said.

Condon said there were originally 30 Fulbright candidates for 2016-2017 and Perez’s selection brings the university’s success rate to 50 percent.

“This accomplishment is truly remarkable and testifies to just how much heart and soul our faculty and staff put into helping students reach their potential,” Condon said.

A testimony to that “heart and soul” was evident during a meeting of university deans on Sept. 6. When Acting Provost Dale Billingsley announced during that meeting that UofL had another Fulbright, the group broke into a spontaneous, hearty round of applause.

Twenty-two students and alumni (as of May 3) have earned some of the world’s most prominent scholarships. The awardees will head to destinations throughout Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.

“We repeatedly talk about our goal to be a premier, nationally recognized, metropolitan research institution and these results make it clear that we are achieving that goal,” said UofL President James Ramsey. “Our prestigious scholar program is a point of pride that showcases UofL’s many opportunities for student global engagement.”

Fourteen scholars earned Fulbright awards — matching the university’s all-time record (set in 2010 and 2011) for number of awards in a single year. That number makes it likely that UofL will among the nation’s top public institutions for the prominent prize. Since 2003, UofL has had 103 Fulbright awardees, more than all other Kentucky public institutions combined.��

Patricia Condon, who heads the national and international scholarship program, said there were originally 30 Fulbright candidates for 2016. Of those, 21 were selected by the U.S. selection committee and recommended to various countries — a high success rate that earned UofL recognition from Fulbright award organizers.

Besides the 14 who were ultimately selected for the award, two were declined, four were chosen as alternates and one is still waiting to hear.

Those receiving are:

• , Carlisle, graduating senior, political science, will teach in Estonia.
• , Glendale, graduating senior, anthropology, will teach in Jordan. He also earned a Critical Language Scholarship and will spend part of the summer in Morocco.
• , Villa Hills, 2015 graduate, English and humanities, will teach in Belarus.
• , Louisville, graduating senior, economics, will teach in Malaysia.
• , Louisville, third-year medical student, will conduct research on traumatic brain and spinal cord injury in sub-Saharan Africa in Malawi.
• , Louisville, third-year medical student, will conduct research on mother-to-child HIV transmission in Kenya.
• , Bardstown, 2013 graduate, political journalism, will conduct research and study journalism at Cardiff University, United Kingdom.
• , Jeffersonville, Indiana, graduating senior, English, will conduct research and study of literature in Trinidad and Tobago.
• , Bowling Green, 2014 graduate, economics and Spanish, will teach in Indonesia.
• , Louisville, graduating senior, English and humanities, will teach in Malaysia.
• , Tulsa, Oklahoma, graduate student, geography, will conduct research on conservation efforts in Namibia
• , Fort Mitchell, graduating senior, middle and secondary education, will teach in Spain.
• , Louisville, graduating senior, Spanish and political science, will teach in Colombia.
• , California, graduate student, education, will teach in Brazil.

Five students were selected as , including Brawner, who is also a Fulbright. The��other four��are:

• , Manchester, junior, political science and economics, will travel to Oman for immersion in Arabic.
• , Elizabethtown, sophomore, political science and history, will travel to Oman for immersion in Arabic.
• , Elizabethtown, junior, anthropology, will travel to China for immersion in Chinese.
• , Louisville, sophomore, political science and history, will travel to Morocco for immersion in Arabic.

The university previously announced that won Kentucky’s only Truman Scholarship, won a Goldwater Scholarship, won a Whitaker International Fellows Award and won a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals.

Patricia Condon, who heads the prestigious scholar program, said the total number of Fulbrights since 2003 now stands at 102. She said six more candidates are still waiting to receive word or have been chosen as alternates, which means the number could continue to grow.

UofL has been to build an infrastructure and campus culture to help students compete for prestigious scholarships. The reason UofL officials often refer back to 2003 when tracking the number of Fulbright scholars is because that was when the recently formed National and International Scholarship Opportunities Office was fully up and running.

“Prior to 2003 there were just a handful of��UofL Fulbrights, so it’s pretty obvious from these results that our scholar program is nothing short of outstanding,” UofL President James Ramsey said. “Crossing that 100 mark felt pretty incredible.”

Condon gave high praise to the university community for mentoring top students and helping them during their academic journey.

“As I began working on an invite list for a scholar celebration, I realized that we had 60 faculty members and university leaders—including several deans—who helped these scholars compete and prepare for their awards,” Condon said. “This enthusiasm and support is what really sets our program apart.”

She also noted that the destinations for this year’s Fulbrights include lesser known countries such as Belarus, Estonia, Malawi and Namibia, demonstrating that UofL will have the opportunity to impact some of the furthest reaches of the globe.

The university that 2013 alumna Rae Hodge earned a Fulbright award and plans to announce the names and destinations of the additional winners in the coming weeks.

UofL also was as one of the nation’s top producers of Fulbright scholars.