The , a highly selective two-year initiative designed for recent college graduates, offers a unique opportunity to engage with high-impact nonprofits in major metropolitan areas such as Boston, New York City, and Philadelphia. Patel will be working with Reading Partners, an organization in New York dedicated to fostering childhood literacy.

The road to this accomplishment was not without its twists and turns. Recounting her time at UofL, Patel reflected on the initial ambiguity of her academic journey.

“There was a running joke with my friends about how many times I changed my major. There was always a lot of uncertainty for me,” Patel said.

Patel ultimately chose a degree in sociology and an individualized degree in social biology after taking classes she enjoyed in the majors.

“I didn’t know where sociology was leading me, but I knew I wanted to take more classes after I took my first one,” said Patel. “My academic background prepared me to work in this field because now I have a deep and intricate understanding of social issues.”

During her two-years as a Community Engagement Fellow, Patel will provide one-on-one tutoring and complete a special project focused on volunteer recruitment. The work will be similar to an experience she had her first year at UofL volunteering with , a non-profit dedicated to early literacy interventions, as part of a .

“I really enjoyed doing that work and saw the impact in the students I mentored. That was what drew me to apply to Reading Partners,” said Patel. “It’s funny how things work out. At the time, doing that, I didn’t know where it was going to lead me and now I will be doing very similar work in the next two years.”

Amidst the excitement for what’s next, Patel remains grounded, acknowledging the pivotal role UofL played in shaping her aspirations for social impact.

“I’m very thankful for not only my professors, of course, who made their classes impactful but also for the that provided me the opportunity to live with and be surrounded by people that have similar interests,” Patel said.

For the 2020-2021 academic year, UofL was once again named a Fulbright U.S. Student Program Top Producing Institution. It marks UofL’s seventh year on the list.

UofL had a total of 13 Fulbright scholars for the 2020-2021 academic year. Since 2003, UofL has produced 148 Fulbrights, more than all other Kentucky public institutions combined.

The distinction from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of ����ֱ��al and Cultural Affairs was published in the Feb. 15 online edition of The Chronicle of Higher ����ֱ��. A list of institutions can be found .

The Fulbright Program is the U.S. government’s flagship international educational exchange program.

“Our students have a global world view that benefits all humankind,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “I commend our students, faculty and staff who work so hard every year to secure these opportunities.”

Started in 1946, the Fulbright Program marks its 75th anniversary this year.��

The awards are among the institution’s most valuable and prestigious prizes, providing the student with full tuition, stipends to help with living expenses and enrichment opportunities.

Here’s a list of this year’s Grawemeyer, MLK and McConnell scholars. The 10 Brown Fellows will be listed at a later date. All of the students shown below are from Kentucky.

Grawemeyer Scholars

• , Louisville
• , Lexington
• , Smithfield
• , Benton
• , Bardstown
• , Louisville
• , Louisville
• , Frankfort
• , Benton
• , Williamsburg

MLK Scholars (pictured above)

• , Shelbyville
• , Bowling Green
• , Lexington
• , Louisville
• , Owensboro
• , Versailles
• , Louisville
• , Lexington
• , Lexington
• Morganfield

McConnell Scholars

• , Crestwood
• , Lexington
• , Pewee Valley
• , Georgetown
• , Alexandria
• , Fort Thomas
• , Owensboro
• , Springfield
• , Louisville

“We have always had outstanding students interested in being McConnell Scholars, but now we are clearly a desired scholarship for top students for Kentuckians who were not even considering joining the University of Louisville 10 years ago” said Dr. Gary Gregg, director of the McConnell Center.

The McConnell Center has held annual scholarship interviews since 1992. Of the 30 finalists invited last weekend to interview for an intense, two-day selection process, the average ACT score was higher than 30 and the average GPA was 4.18. The pool will be narrowed to 10 students who will begin their tenure as McConnell Scholars at an August annual intellectual retreat.

Throughout the past 25 years, more than 250 McConnell Scholars have received more than $3.5 million in scholarships. Scholars take an advanced series of seminars and have access to opportunities to travel the nation and the world. Alumni have gone on to win prestigious scholarships, including numerous Fulbright and Truman awards, and have pursued prestigious law and graduate programs ranging from Oxford to Harvard and from UCLA to the University of Pennsylvania.

On Sept. 9, about 20 Fulbright and Critical Language Scholarship applicants gathered at Etskorn Honors Center for the Fulbright Speed Dating event. Now in its eighth year, the program lets applicants have one-on-one conversations with previous winners who look over their research proposals and offer suggestions on how to improve them.

In addition to getting a proposal tune-up, applicants receive practical advice on living and working abroad from their advisers’ firsthand experience — an opportunity many advisers themselves wish they had during their application process.

“It was different when I went through the process. For me, it was a small group of faculty who committed themselves to the process,” said 2005 Fulbright scholar Jeanelle Sears, whose work in Egypt led her to a social work career serving refugees. Knowing the importance of the Fulbright program in helping students become changemakers, she volunteered to pass along her expertise to the next generation of scholars.

“We’ve all been through this,” said Sears. “We want to help (the candidates) make their application as strong as it can be.”

Senior Kyle Vuong came to the event seeking input on his proposal to study highly infectious parasites in Geneva. His research proposal was sound, but his mentor helped him improve his purpose statement to make his proposal more attractive to the review board.

“When they read my personal statement, I want them to see a person, not just a number,” said Vuong. “Can they tell it’s someone passionate, someone who has a story to tell?”

The event is the brainchild of Patricia Condon, director of the Office of National and International Scholarship Opportunities. Condon was on hand to oversee the event and offer some advice to Fulbright hopefuls.

“For candidates, it really helps accelerate their thinking and preparation,” said Condon. “Some have said it’s the single most important thing that helped them prepare for the Fulbright interview.”

UofL was named a top producer of Fulbright scholars for the 2015-16 academic year by the Chronicle of Higher ����ֱ��. The campus deadline for next year’s winners to submit their applications is Sept. 15.

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