UofL student earns prominent fellowship

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – A University of Louisville junior is one of 75 U.S. college students selected for a prominent fellowship. Brandt Coleman will spend a year in Germany as a Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange for Young Professionals scholar. The award is funded by the U.S. Department of State and aims to strengthen ties and understanding between Americans and Germans. During his time abroad, Coleman will spend two months in an intensive language program, four months studying at a university and four months working as an intern. He will live with a host family. “We’ve firmly established UofL as a university that produces prominent scholars,” said UofL President James Ramsey. “This prize is a great example of how we work closely with students to match up their academic interests with notable international scholarships.” A university honors scholar and native of Fort Mitchell, Coleman is earning a degree in environmental analysis and conservation biology, an individualized liberal studies degree through the College of Arts and Sciences. Coleman earned a David and Betty Jones Scholarship and a 2015 Etscorn International Summer Research Scholarship. As an Etscorn scholar, he traveled to Mexico to participate in a research project that examined the health of cenotes, underwater cave systems located throughout the Yucatán Peninsula. Coleman is a certified dive master and rescue diver. He is currently an exchange student studying marine biology at New College of Florida, based in Sarasota. Coleman said the fellowship will give him a chance to learn from his colleagues in Germany and act as a young ambassador for the U.S. “I really want to continue my studies in marine biology and geosciences. That is what I want to study most,” he said. He is the son of Janet and Don Coleman of Fort Mitchell and a 2013 graduate of Beechwood Independent High School. ###