Scholars Program
The 2023 Grawemeyer Scholars at Bernheim Forest.
The University of Louisville established the Grawemeyer Scholarship to honor UofL alumnus and benefactor H. Charles Grawemeyer, the namesake of the University of Louisville Grawemeyer Awards.
Each year, ten Grawemeyer Scholars receive a full, four-year-renewable scholarship, based on their promise for undergraduate research, leadership, and service to the University, as exemplified by their test scores, high school grades, letters of recommendation, and records of extracurricular achievement.
Grawemeyer Scholars receive a dedicated program of civic, cultural, and leadership education during their freshman year, during which Program administration and UofL faculty work to match them with an undergraduate research experience in any field of study offered at the University.
The scholarship may also be used to fund a semester abroad, which the Program strongly encourages and works with the Study Abroad Office to facilitate.
The Grawemeyer Scholars Program is part of UofLâs family of prestigious full-ride-plus âMentored Scholarship Programs,â which includes the McConnell Scholars Program, MLK Scholars Program and the Brown Fellows Program.
Scholarship Details
Full in-state tuition, plus a stipend for room, board, and books. Non-resident recipients will receive an enhancement to their National Scholars award.  31 ACT or 1360 SAT (CR + M) and 3.5 GPA. More information and application materials can be found on the UofL Admissions Mentored Scholarships web pages.
Current Scholars
2022 – Rachael Cole, Lylah Cox, Seth Derscha, Lily Derthick, Annalise Hale, Xander Jarvis, Nina Pauig, Veena Pendyala, Adnan Shaik, Gavin Whitaker
2021 – Eden Baize, Sarah Belcher, Abbie Camp, Lindsay Caudill, Meg Gibson, Alfred Gonzales, Sam Kirchoff, Luke Malott, Ashley Stine, Cal Zirilli
2020 – Kaden Fisher, Alyssa Gebhardt, Matthew Johnson, Kelsey Littrell, Camila Lozano Aguirre, Kam Rasheed, Jackson Schleff, Anna Simpson, Abigail Stanger, Caeden Whitaker
2019 – Elizabeth Crawford, Gopika Gopan, Srikur Kanuparthy, Bryan McLellan, Lanie Miller, Betty Ngo, Martha Popescu, Caleb Russell, Cian Toole, Samantha Vaughn
2018 – Sarah Burns, Cameron Foulch, John Gilkison, Samuel Kessler, Katya Kovatsenko, Erynn Overfield, Cary Sebree, Ryan Shackleford, Tryphena Sithu, Katherine Whitaker
2017 –Â Andrew Albrecht, Nicholas Beeny, Caroline Boone, Sabrina Collins, Lindsay Haralu, Dustyn Hofer, Madeline McCloud, John Moore, Will Sebree, Lindsey Smith
2016 – Amanda Arts, Brandon Brown, Connor Burns, Alisha Deshmukh, Sam Embry, Gabrielle âEllieâ Farley, Garrett McGrady, Davis Pyle, Graham Reynolds, Kayla âMariaâ Shields.
2015 – Rachel Benzing, Joseph Graf, Poonum Haldankar, Carly Newman, Stephanie Russell, Joshua Stewart.
2024 Scholars
This yearâs incoming class of ten Grawemeyer Scholars come from across Kentucky. They include valedictorians, Governorâs Scholars, National Merit and AP-recognized scholars, community volunteers, musicians and athletes.
Elizabeth (Liz) Bryant graduated from duPont Manual High School as a National Merit Finalist, valedictorian, and girlsâ tennis team captain. She has won state-level competitions in Embedded Systems for science fair, as well as in Sports Medicine for HOSA: Future Health Professionals. She is also a two-time semifinalist in the high school state tennis championship. During an internship with a UofL laboratory, Liz performed research regarding the chemosensory neurobiological connections in rats. She loves to crochet, play the piano, and practice archery. Liz is a biology major and is in the Guaranteed Entrance to Medical School (GEMS) Program.
Griffen Farnsley graduated from the Youth Performing Arts School of DuPont Manual High School, where he majored in Classical Guitar, was a Governor’s Scholar, and was the President of Tri-M, a national honor society for musicians, in his senior year.. Throughout his time in high school, Griffen was a four-time All-State attendee for guitar, as well as participating in Interlochen Academy, Governorâs School for the Arts, and Brevard Music Academy. Although he is mainly focused on classical guitar, he has a deep interest in psychological and environmental research. At UofL, he will be majoring in Instrumental Performance focusing on Classical Guitar.
Jake Hamill graduated as a Governorâs Scholar from South Oldham High School, where he was NHS President, Cross Country Team Captain, Class Secretary, and Y-Club Vice President. Jake independently conducted research on mold growth in dog food, and his findings are published in the Journal of Student Research. He volunteered at a local nursing home and worked as a pottery teacher at the Oldham County Arts Center. In addition to teaching, he sells his work in local shops. At UofL, he is majoring in Public Health and is a member of the Guaranteed Entrance to Medical School (GEMS) Program.
Adam Hetman graduated cum laude from Kentucky Country Day school in 2024 after completing the honors program with a thesis focused on the future of interpreting in the context of AI development. Adam, who is passionate about linguistics, is a native speaker in Polish and English and studied French in high school. Adam was the captain of his high school swim and future problem solving teams and qualified for the International Career Development Conference organized by DECA. In addition to continuing to pursue his passion for linguistics, Adam hopes to further his interest in science, and explore the intersections between the two fields.
Xanthe Hoover graduated as valedictorian from Ohio County High School, where she participated in National Honors Society, National Beta Club, Marching Band, Concert Band and Next Generation Leadership, where she competed in the JA Titan National Competition. Xanthe participated in both Owensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra and Evansville Philharmonic Youth Orchestra, and was a member of both the KMEA All-State Symphonic Band and Symphony Orchestra. She is an alumna of both the Governorâs School for the Arts and Governorâs Scholars Program. Xanthe plans on majoring in both Biochemistry and Music on a Pre-Medical Track, and is interested in oncology research.
Lillian Long graduated from both The Gatton Academy as a Community Scholar, Honors with Distinction, and Ballard High School as a Valedictorian. Her favorite activities included being a member of the Color Guard at Ballard, acting as a Co-President of the Russian Culture Club at Gatton, and researching Fungi in Plants as Disease Model at the University of Louisville, and serving as Co-President for her church camp in her final year attending. She is pursuing a career in Engineering with the hopes of creating a path that emphasizes interdisciplinary scientific applications.
Lily McMullin graduated from Limestone Community High School (Peoria, IL) as a top scholar, Key Club officer, golf team co-captain, and top performer on the speech team. She also participated in soccer, band, and the schoolâs play, musical, and madrigals. Lily proudly led the effort to create a community hope garden and helped launch the freshman mentorship program. She was named Science Student of the Year and awarded the Sterling Merit Outstanding Student award. Outside of school, Lily works a job and volunteers at a youth Christian camp. At UofL, she will study biology on the pre-med track with dreams to become a pediatric ophthalmologist. She hopes to transform lives with research in childrenâs diabetes.
Gillam Nicodemus graduated as the 2024 Honor Graduate from Daviess County High School in rural western Kentucky. Gillam received ten varsity letters in five different sports at two different high schools, in wrestling, football, soccer, track, and cross country, and was selected as captain for soccer, football, and wrestling. Gillam is interested in researching nuclear energy and its possible applications in the commonwealth. At UofL Gillam is a part of the University Honors program and will be majoring in Chemical Engineering and minoring in Chemistry.
Kent Sideris graduated from Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy summa cum laude and was awarded the 4-year Fine Arts Music Award. He participated in several school bands including Electric Jazz Orchestra, Steel Drum, and concert band. He was a member of the varsity lacrosse and swim teams, NHS, and student government. He was a school ambassador and had the privilege of volunteering throughout the city of Cincinnati and participating in a mission trip to Kenya. At UofL, he will be pursuing a Nursing degree and will be a member of the Cardinal Marching Band.
Pranjal Sharma graduated as valedictorian of Ballard High School and the first female president of her schoolâs HOSA) organization. Pranjal is the co-founder and state head of Project HELP, which provides healthcare packs for people experiencing homelessness, as well as founder of her schoolâs Mental Health Awareness club and an active tutor. She has been involved in microbiology research at the University of Louisville and plans to major in Biology.