Grawemeyer Scholars Program
Sidebar
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 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 take part in cohort activities, cultural outings, and other programming during their freshman year, during which program administration and UofL faculty assist them in identifying 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.
Scholarship Details
Prospective students need a 3.5 high school GPA and a 24 ACT/1160 SAT to apply. The application includes two essays, as well as a high school transcript and two recommendations. For questions about the application process, please email bethany.smith.1@louisville.edu.
2026 Grawemeyer Scholars
Adeoluwa (Ade) Adedokun graduated for the Math, Science and Technology Center (MSTC) program at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School in Lexington, KY. Ade is a National Merit Scholar Finalist and has conducted undergraduate - level research on vibro-acoustics in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Kentucky. He is also a leader in his school's FIRST Robotics and Technology Student Association clubs. Outside of engineering, Ade is passionate about community service and has volunteered with God's Pantry Food Bank and other organizations focused on food security and the environment. At UofL, he plans to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering and continue conducting research while helping to develop technologies that improve quality of life.
Katherine Church recently graduated from Martha Layne Collins High School as valedictorian and was a Governor's Scholar at Centre College. Katherine was the leader of the NASA Artemis Moon Tree Project at her high school, which brought the first Moon Tree to the state of Kentucky in 2024. She was also a member of Shelby County Young Leaders, which explored different fields of work in the county and worked to impact the community in a positive way through a year-long student service project. Katherine will be pursuing a degree in meteorology and looks forward to conducting research in the field.
Terra Dempsey is a recent high school graduate who has been taking a full load of classes at UofL for the last two years. She plans to major in neuroscience and later go on to earn a PhD in clinical neuropsychology. While interning at the Bickford Lab at the UofL at the UofL Health Sciences Campus, she learned valuable skills in identifying specific synaptic circuits within the visual system using various types of microscopies. I high school, she went to Norway as an exchange student, ran a profitable business, and accumulated over 3,000 service hours through fostering for the Kentucky Humane Society. In her free time, she enjoys baking, sewing, backpacking, and spending time with her pets.
Aryam Eyob graduated summa cum laude and with Honors from Shawnee High School in Lima, Ohio. She swam for her school's varsity, district, and state swim teams. Aryam also was secretary for her school's National Honors Society and Red Cross Club and a Case Western Reserve University neuroscience pre-college scholar. She independently conducted research on epilepsy and contrast dyes which inspired the research project she's pursuing at UofL. Outside of school Aryam volunteers at a nursing home, food bank, and soup kitchen as well as working as a lifeguard and giving swim lessons. At UofL, Aryman will be studying neuroscience and global public health with the goal of practicing medicine as a physician.
Ava Lunsford plans to major in Communication at UofL and loves all things digital media, photography, filmmaking, media editing, and directing, Ava recently graduated from Williamstown High School as Valedictorian, as well as from Gateway Technical and Community College with an Associate Degree in the Arts with a focus in Psychology. She looks forward to furthering my studies at the University of Louisville as a Grawemeyer Scholar.
Averly Nielson graduated summa cum laude from Brentwood High School in Tennessee with high distinction, Williamson County Honors, Volunteer Distinction for volunteering ten hours per semester of high school, and the Williamson County Gold Seal of Biliteracy for proficiency in English and Spanish and for using Spanish knowledge to volunteer within the local Hispanic community. She was a member of National Honor Society, Spanish Honor Society, and treasurer of Art Honor Society. As president of Empower Nashville Club, she coordinated with local nonprofit Nations Ministry Center, effectively distributing volunteers to help tutor refugee and immigrant children in English.
Exxon Rangel-Jimenez graduated as valedictorian from Calloway County High School in Murray, KY. Exxon served as president of the Student Council, senior class, Rotary Interact Club, and Future Business Leaders of America chapter, as well as founder and president of the STEM Club, a player on the Laker Tennis Team, and drum major of the marching band. Exxon attended programs such as the Governor's School for Entrepreneurs and the Governor's Scholars Program. In his free time, Exxon enjoys playing tennis, pickleball, and the clarinet, as well as listening to music. Exxon plans to major in Chemical Engineering and focus his research on pharmaceutical applications of chemical engineering.
Maizie Sayles is an Equine Business major from Omaha, Nebraska. She is an AP Scholar with Honors and served as her FFA chapter's President, earning second place in equine placement at the state convention. In April, Maizie traveled to Washington DC to speak on behalf of her school and stated at a US Department of Labor panel discussion and press conference regarding the critical role public and private partnerships play in the success of high school career and technical pathway programs. It's Mazie's passion for horses that brings her to UofL. She logged more than 600 hours volunteering at a therapeutic riding barn, helping rides with disabilities connect with horses. She recently completed 2 years as a barn hand, where she provided care for 20+ horses and assisted in training yearlings and two-year olds headed for the racetrack. Maizie's long-term goal is to become a barn manager for a large-scale racing stable. Her research interests include equine welfare and agribusiness.
Aliza Wilson graduated from Russellville High School as valedictorian and from Southcentral Kentucky Community & Technical College with an Associate of Arts with high distinction. She was a 2025 Kentucky Governor's Scholar and served in leadership in the RHS concert, jazz, pep, and marching bands. Aliza was an RHS Student Ambassador, Varsity Academic Team member, Beta Musicology Team Captain, and a core member of the RHS Math Team. Aliza plays French horn, piano, mellophone, and melodica and is double majoring in music and business to combine her passions of spreadsheets and music.
Thomas Toolen comes to UofL from Southern Illinois and will be majoring in Music Composition. Outside of playing and making music, he enjoys playing games (board games, tabletop, and casual video games), movies and anime, reading and disc golf. Thomas will also be marching with the Marching Cards and Pep Band. He is excited to arrive in Louisville and begin trying new activities, eating at new restaurants, and meeting new people.
2025 - Benjamin Davis, Sonia Davis, Alayna Farris, Caleb Hasenour, Yassin Hassan, Makena Justice, Joci Kogan, Ethan Leicht, Varshitha Ramesh, Tae Randall
2024 - Elizabeth (Liz) Bryant, Griffen Farnsley, Jake Hamill, Adam Hetman, Xanthe Hoover, Lillian Long, Lily McMullin, Gillam Nicodemus, Kent Sideris, Pranjal Sharma
2023 - Toni Adedokun, Lillie Binford-Andrews, Emma Gillespie, Sireesha Gutti, Jackie Hurst, Jr., Brody Johnson, Sage Lancaster, Mariana Meneses, Swetha Senthil Nathan, Cassandra Sullivan
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 – 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 “Ellie” Farley, Garrett McGrady, Davis Pyle, Graham Reynolds, Kayla “Maria” Shields.
2015 – Rachel Benzing, Joseph Graf, Poonum Haldankar, Carly Newman, Stephanie Russell, Joshua Stewart.