By Nick Harling

The University of Kentucky College of Arts & Sciences has named the 2018 recipients of the Trunzo Scholarship for Education Abroad and Internships in Politics, Government, Law, or Public Policy. Since its inaugural year of 2017, this competitive scholarship, sponsored by Robert ’78 and Anne Trunzo, awards funding to students planning to study abroad and to students for participation in internships.

The 2018 Recipients of the Trunzo Scholarship for Education Abroad are:

• Eric Poore, a political science junior, history minor, and Gaines Fellow, will attend the International Summer School at Exeter University this summer in the United Kingdom.
• Jorden Jones, a sophomore double majoring in sociology and political science and current participant in UK’s internship in D.C. program for Spring 2018, will either participate in a Summer Internship in Cape Town, South Africa, or an intensive Arabic language study program in Jordan.
• Kathryn Johnson, a pre-law sophomore who is currently majoring in Foreign Language and International Economics/Chinese and minoring in political science and business, will attend the Conversational Chinese Program at Shanghai University.

“I am honored and grateful to be a recipient,” Jones said. “The Trunzo Scholarship is not only providing financial assistance that is necessary in my current situation, but also facilitating a pathway for me to further pursue my dreams. I am dedicated in my pursuit for a career in diplomacy and policy for the United States government.”

The 2018 Recipients of the Trunzo Scholarship for Internships in Politics, Government, Law, or Public Policy are:

• Hadeel Abdallah, a junior double majoring in Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures, and Cultures/Arabic and Islamic studies track and political science and a recent Truman Scholar for graduate work in public service, will utilize the scholarship to support an internship with the American Civil Liberties Union in New York.
• Bear Brown, a political science junior and history minor, will participate in the Wildcats at the Capital Internship in Washington, D.C.
• Tynesea Watts, a political science junior and Modern and Classical Languages, Literatures and Cultures/French Francophone track minor, will also participate in the Wildcats at the Capital Internship. Watts previously studied abroad in Caen, France, in Spring 2017.

“I have hopes to make a positive difference in the lives of the most vulnerable and forgotten in our society,” Abdallah said. “The internship will allow me to dive deep into the economic disparities that individuals from lower socio-economic classes experience. Being a Trunzo Scholar relieves me of the many financial burdens in my aspirations to do so.”

The scholarships give students an opportunity they may otherwise not be able to afford.

“Because of the generous patronage of Mr. and Mrs. Trunzo, I will be able to pursue a research internship this summer with the American Enterprise Institute,” Brown said. “This opportunity serves as a crucial learning experience for me going forward.”

Visit https://www/as.uky.edu/trunzo for more information on the Trunzo scholarships.