Nine UofL scholars win Fulbright awards for 2022-2023

June 30, 2022

The University of Louisville announced June 30 that nine scholars have been awarded 2022-2023 Fulbright Awards. They will travel to Jordan, Indonesia, Bulgaria, Bahrain, Thailand, Czech Republic and Slovenia.

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 Educational 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, Jordan
Reese Bergschneider: English Teaching Assistantship, Indonesia
Katya Kovatsenko: English Teaching Assistantship, Bulgaria
Henrietta (Henny) Ransdell: English Teaching Assistantship, Thailand
Lauren Reuss: English Teaching Assistantship, Thailand
Jessica (Jesse) Sanders: English Teaching Assistantship, Thailand
Farhiya Shaban: English Teaching Assistantship, Bahrain
Emily Spicer: Research, Czech Republic
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.”

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 Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship.
Cornelius Sanford, who graduated from UofL in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology and pan-African studies, won a 2022 Rangel International Affairs Graduate Fellowship.
University of Louisville senior Samuel Kessler has earned a George J. Mitchell Scholarship.
Three University of Louisville juniors conducting undergraduate research in breast cancer, galaxies and robotics won 2022 Barry Goldwater Scholarships, marking the largest number of recipients from UofL in a single year.

For more information, visit louisville.edu/scholars.