University of Arkansas Honors College Selects 2016 Bodenhamer Fellows

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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas Honors College has selected six incoming freshmen to receive the university's Bodenhamer Fellowship, one of the most prestigious undergraduate scholarships that the university offers. The fellowship awards $70,000 in financial support and cultivates a strong sense of community among current and alumni fellows.

"Now in its 18th year, the Bodenhamer program has produced Truman and Goldwater scholars and alumni who are committed to making a difference in their communities," said Honors College Dean Lynda Coon. "We look forward to welcoming this new group of fellows to the Bodenhamer family of scholars, and the Honors College is here to support them as they explore their many interests."

The 2016 Bodenhamer Fellows embrace a wide range of interests and skills, from international business and sustainable agriculture to drama and civil engineering. Common among them is an exceptionally strong interest in giving back to their communities.

2016 Bodenhamer Fellows

Harris Bethel is a graduate of Episcopal Collegiate School in Little Rock, where he completed nine AP classes and excelled as a four-sport athlete. He was a captain of the football team, was most valuable runner and named to the all-state team in cross country, won multiple state championships with the basketball team and also played soccer. Bethel logged more than 200 hours at his church as an acolyte and volunteered with Miracle League Baseball to help children with special needs. He also served as chair of the music committee for the school’s student council. He plans to study biology in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. He is the son of Steve and Jennifer Bethel.

Maxwell Carter is a graduate of The Academies at Jonesboro High School, a National Merit Finalist and an AP Scholar with Distinction. In addition to his rigorous course load that included 13 AP classes, Carter founded and was president of his school’s Young Democrats chapter, was an all-district high school and club swimmer and vice-president of his Amnesty International chapter. In 2014 he won the Environmental and Spatial Technology Conference National Video Competition. Carter volunteers his time with Habitat for Humanity and reviewed grant applications as a member of the Youth Advisory Council for the Jonesboro Chamber of Commerce. He plans to major in engineering in the College of Engineering. He is the son of Dennis and Jackie Carter.

Veronica Hader is a graduate of Bentonville High School, where she excelled in a wide variety of scholastic endeavors, from serving as head poetry editor for Impressions, her school’s literary magazine, to placing first in ACE Team Shakespeare Expert for three years. Hader also volunteered her time with Children’s Creative Workshop, a program in which students from third to sixth grade learn about art and creative writing. She was named a National Merit Finalist and is learning ballroom dancing in her spare time. Hader will study mathematics in Fulbright College with the goal of teaching math, extending her own curiosity to others. She is the daughter of Peter and Katarzyna Hader.

Cheyenne Lowrey is a graduate of Hamburg High School, where she graduated second in her class. She was named a National Merit Finalist, won awards as a swimmer and won a statewide world language competition for Spanish vocabulary. She performed in student productions of Rumpelstiltskin, The Princess and the Pea, and A Seussified Christmas Carol, totaling more than 120 hours of commitment to the drama club. Her Quiz Bowl team finished second in the Arkansas 4A State Finals Tournament. She plans to double major in civil engineering and biology in the College of Engineering and Fulbright College. As a first-generation college student she hopes to inspire others from similar backgrounds to be “the first of a new line of scholars.” She is the daughter of Anthony and Donna Lowrey.

Srusti Maddala, a graduate of Har-Ber High School, believes that farmers don’t get the esteem they deserve. This National Merit Finalist wants to become an agricultural biochemist to do research and improve the world with sustainable farming practices. Maddala was a member of Health Occupational Students of America, president of opening and closing ceremonies for her chapter’s Future Farmers of America and a trumpet player in the school’s concert and marching bands. She also spent time as her volleyball team’s libero, one of the toughest defensive positions in the game, and helped develop a chemically activated cold pack for sports injuries at a chemistry boot camp. She is the daughter of Ram and Lalitha Maddala.

Allison Vincent is a graduate of Jenks High School in Oklahoma, where she was a standout in their vocal music program, an AP Scholar with Distinction and a National Merit Finalist. Vincent completed 11 AP classes and was honored as “Senior of the Month” at Jenks. She rose through the ranks in Key Club to serve as vice president of special projects and spent more than 500 hours planning social events and fundraisers. She was a member of the Trojanaires show choir that was named Grand Champions at FAME Branson and placed sixth at FAME Chicago National Finals. Vincent is also dedicated to service and took part in mission trips to Jamaica, Belize and Guatemala. She plans to major in international business in the Sam M. Walton College of Business. She is the daughter of Carl and Rhonda Vincent.

The Bodenhamer Foundation, acting through its trustee Lee Bodenhamer (B.S.B.A. 1957, M.B.A. 1961) established the Bodenhamer Fellowships at the university in 1998. Students must score 32 on the ACT and have a 3.8 high school grade point average to be eligible to apply. Extracurricular activities, community service and evidence of intellectual curiosity and creativity are also considered in the selection process.

In addition to covering the normal cost of attending the university, the fellowship may be used for study abroad, attendance at professional and educational conferences, research and special equipment that a fellow may need.

The new Bodenhamer students will join a group of 126 fellows who have benefited from the generous support of the Bodenhamer family. Alumni fellows are excelling in a wide range of career paths, from producing videos for National Geographic to improving global health care. Many are pursuing advanced degrees at universities such as Harvard, Yale and the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

Next week the new class of Bodenhamer Fellows will travel to Washington, D.C., for a five-day trip that includes tours of the Capitol, the Smithsonian Institution, the Library of Congress and the Holocaust Museum. The Washington trip is an annual tradition funded by Lee Bodenhamer that helps build rapport among the new Bodenhamer fellows.

About the Honors College: The University of Arkansas Honors College was established in 2002 and unites the university’s top undergraduate students and professors in a learning environment characterized by discovery, creativity and service. Each year the Honors College awards up to 90 freshman fellowships that provide $70,000 over four years, and more than $1 million in undergraduate research and study abroad grants. The Honors College is nationally recognized for the high caliber of students it admits and graduates. Honors students enjoy small, in-depth classes, and programs are offered in all disciplines, tailored to students’ academic interests, with interdisciplinary collaborations encouraged. Fifty percent of Honors College graduates have studied abroad – three times the national average – and one hundred percent of them have engaged in mentored research.

About the University of Arkansas: The University of Arkansas provides an internationally competitive education for undergraduate and graduate students in more than 200 academic programs. The university contributes new knowledge, economic development, basic and applied research, and creative activity while also providing service to academic and professional disciplines. The Carnegie Foundation classifies the University of Arkansas among only 2 percent of universities in America that have the highest level of research activity. U.S. News & World Report ranks the University of Arkansas among its top American public research universities. Founded in 1871, the University of Arkansas comprises 10 colleges and schools and maintains a low student-to-faculty ratio that promotes personal attention and close mentoring.