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 .

Ben Anderson, who graduated from UofL in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in political science, was awarded a 2022 . Cornelius Sanford, who graduated from UofL in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and pan-African studies, won a 2022 Charles B.ĚýRangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship.

“It is tremendously exciting for UofL to have even one recipient selected for either of these prestigious fellowships,” said Bethany Smith of UofL’s Office of National and International Scholarships. “To have two in a single year is unprecedented. Congratulations to Ben and Cornelius, who will both go on to fulfilling careers in the Foreign Service.”

Previously, only one UofL graduate had won a Pickering Fellowship (Ashley Gray, 2005), and one a Rangel Fellowship (Zerlina Bartholomew, 2019).

The sibling programs are aimed at attracting individuals “from all ethnic, racial and social backgrounds who have an interest in pursuing a Foreign Service career” with the state department.

The difference in the programs — both of which are worth up to $42,000 a year for recipients to earn a two-year master’s degree — is primarily in the focus of their domestic internship component. Pickering Fellows intern at the state department in Washington, D.C., while Rangel Fellows intern on Capitol Hill focusing on Congress’ role in foreign policy.

Anderson, a Louisville native, won a Fulbright English Teaching Grant to Taiwan in 2019 and is the son of two UofL English department faculty members, Karen Chandler and David Anderson. He plans to study public policy.

Sanford, of Eminence, Kentucky, graduated from UofL in 2019. Afterward, he held two internships in Cape Town, South Africa. In addition, he is a who served as a Teaching English as a Foreign Language Educator in rural Madagascar. He hopes to pursue international affairs and diplomacy in his graduate studies, focusing on .

Among their numerous accomplishments, both were fellows of the Public Policy and International Affairs (PPIA) program at University of California, Berkeley. Anderson was a UofL Brown Fellow, a Woodford R. Porter Scholar and a Muhammad Ali Scholar. Sanford was a Martin Luther King Scholar.

The state department represents the U.S. at more than 270 diplomatic locations around the world, including embassies, consulates and missions to international organizations.