Representing more than 20 degree programs, our Gaines Fellows represent some of the finest undergraduates at the University of Kentucky.
Meet Our Fellows
Our Junior Fellows
Ella Clark
Ella is a Music Education and Music Performance major from Independence, KY. She is a part of UK Opera Theatre and has played both ensemble and principal roles in UK's opera productions. She is also a part of the Panhellenic sorority, Delta Gamma.
"I feel incredibly honored and excited to have been awarded the Gaines Fellowship. I’m especially looking forward to engaging more deeply with the humanities through the program’s seminars and discussions. What excites me most is the opportunity to learn alongside students who are passionate about many different disciplines and to hear perspectives that will challenge and expand my own thinking. As someone deeply involved in music and opera, I’m excited to explore how vocal music and storytelling connect with broader conversations about culture, identity, and human experience. I hope this experience will help me grow as a thinker while gaining a deeper appreciation for how the humanities shape the ways we understand the world and one another."
Enzo Fressola
Enzo is an Architecture, Business, and Design-Build student from Russell, KY. He is Public Relations Chair for Phi Sigma Kappa and plays intramural soccer.
"I am extremely grateful to be awarded the Gaines Fellowship. I know this is a prestigious program with incredible alumni, and it is an honor to be part of a community that values intellectual curiosity. Through this experience, I hope to gain interdisciplinary knowledge and new perspectives by interacting with students and professors from different fields. I also hope to further understand how my studies and interests can be applied to broader issues."
Catalina Hicks
Catalina is from Lexington, KY. She is majoring in Statistics & Data Science and Law & Justice. She is a dedicated member of the UK pickleball club that is a representative activity of the university's commitment to healthy and active students.
"I am thrilled to receive the Gaines Fellowship and appreciate the opportunity to work with some of the best students here. I hope to learn more about my community and how our research and connections to the arts and humanities will impact society. I can't wait to start and continue to learn about how I can contribute to an amazing group of like-minded individuals."
Adarsh Khullar
Adarsh is from Villa Hills, KY. He is majoring in Neuroscience and Biology. He is also completing the undergraduate Certificate in Social Work. Adarsh is also an Emergency Medical Technician, a Equine Therapy volunteer, and the Director of Well-Being for the Student Government Association.
"Inspired by my clinical work as an emergency medical technician, I applied to the Gaines Fellowship intending to explore the ethics of long-term supportive care and palliative management. I am thrilled to have been selected, and while I am eager to pursue my intellectual interests through the program, I am even more excited to get to know my peer Fellows. Looking forward for what's to come!"
Norah Masri
Norah is from Strathmore Village, Kentucky. She is majoring in Pre-Biosystems Engineering. Norah also serves on the Engineering Student Council and works as an undergraduate research assistant in a reproductive tissue engineering laboratory.
"I am beyond excited to be awarded this opportunity. I actually screamed when I got the email and scared my friends. This award means a lot to me, and I am so grateful to be chosen. I am looking forward to forming a strong community with curious, socially conscious students, and I am so excited to grow as a learner and thinker. I think that this program will be a great space to foster connections between STEM and the humanities while learning how I can contribute to socially conscious scientific research. I am also thrilled to join such a diverse cohort of students and learn from their varied academic and personal perspectives!"
Samuel Mekoh
Samuel Mekoh is from Lexington, Kentucky. He is majoring in Political Science/Public Policy, Urban Studies, and Law & Justice. He is an Undergraduate Senator-at-Large and a member of the UK Model United Nations.
"I'm extremely grateful that this opportunity has been offered to me. Moreover, I'm grateful to the professors that recommended me for the program as I couldn't have done it without them. I hope to learn more about the humanities and fine arts from diverse perspectives, and hopefully take what I've learned and carry it forward in my future endeavors!"
Katie Neglia
Katie is from Carmel, Indiana. She is majoring in Human Health Sciences and Pharmacology
"Medicine without the humanities would know the body, but not the human. The more I learn, the more I realize how much remains to be discovered, and I am honored to pursue my curiosity through the Gaines Fellowship. Through this experience, I hope to meaningfully engage with perspectives beyond my scientific background and learn to sit with ambiguity rather than rush to resolve it. I am eager to learn from and connect with each person within the Gaines community."
Keira Schinaman
Keira is from Lexington, Kentucky. She is majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology. She is also an active member of Movement Continuum here in Lexington, a contemporary dance company.
"I am very excited to have been awarded the Gaines Fellowship. I think this will be a good opportunity for me to learn and grow through a holistic approach. I am looking forward to the seminars as they will have a small student to teacher ratio, so more focus can be placed on each individual students, and students themselves can better communicate with each other. I also want to use this opportunity to incorporate dance into my work with neuroscience and psychology, especially for my senior year thesis project."
Anya Sharma
Anya is from Louisville, Kentucky. She is majoring in Neuroscience and Psychology with minors in Biology and Cognitive Science. She is a member of Neurocats and Alpha Delta Pi sorority.
"I'm super excited about being awarded the Gaines Fellowship! I hope that my time in the program allows me to learn more about the community around me and create connections across degree programs here at UK!"
Bella Skibba
Bella is from Owensboro, Kentucky. She is majoring in Public Health, with a Certificate in Undergraduate Research. Bella is a TEDxUKY Co-organizer, DanceBlue Mini Marathons Committee member and Kentucky Department for Public Health student intern.
"I have wanted to be a Gaines Fellow since I first learned about the opportunity when I came to the University of Kentucky. I feel incredibly grateful to have the chance to complement my Public Health coursework with meaningful learning experiences in the humanities. Through the fellowship, I hope to explore how unique aspects of the humanities, such as creativity, critical thinking, and storytelling can inform my approach to public health."
Samuel Toney
Samuel is from Lexington, Kentucky. He is majoring in English and Digital Media Design. Sam is a member of Sigma Tau Delta and the UK Mens Choir.
"I feel elated! It also doesn't yet feel real. I hope to gain a more intimate and deep knowledge of the area I'd like to focus on, being literature, particularly French literature if possible. I am very excited about the prospect of potentially publishing my research by the end of Gaines. I also feel that the group setting will be a wonderful experience in general."
Liz Udoh
Liz is from Louisville, Kentucky. She is majoring in Neuroscience & Psychology. Liz is the Director of Mentorship for Healthcare Cats and an active volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House.
"I am honestly still in shock. I am so grateful for the chance to join a program where learning stretches beyond the classroom and where I can connect with people who inspire me. I look forward to meeting the other fellows, to finding my place in this community, and to growing together with those who care as much about the world as I do."
Our Senior Fellows
Sidney Acree
Sidney is an English major from Burkesville, Kentucky.
“I am so excited to be accepted into the Gaines Fellowship. I realize how coveted this fellowship is, and I am going to make sure I take advantage of the opportunity awarded to me. From this experience, I hope to gain more insight into research and how research can be used to improve issues we face. I also hope to make friends who are interested in the humanities and dedicated to their studies like myself. Thank you all for this opportunity; I promise to make the best of it.”
Priscilla Agbozo
Priscilla is an Exploratory Business major from Mesaiees, Qatar.
“I was genuinely surprised and honored to have been selected. I am so excited to enrich my college experience and get to build new connections. I’m excited to learn more about the humanities and pursue my passions and interests outside of my major.”
Hunter Coady
Hunter is double-majoring in Biology and English. He is from Crestwood, Kentucky.
“I am beyond ecstatic. It is something I’ve wanted to apply for since I first heard about it at the beginning of freshman year.”
Carter Franklin
Carter is majoring in International Studies and Spanish. She is from Louisville, Kentucky.
“I am completely ecstatic––the humanities are not just a discipline, but a passion I hold so close to my heart. To me, they are the key to delivering impactful change and making a difference in the world.”
Eduarda Frizzo Pereira
Eduarda is an international student from Porto Alegre, Brazil. She is majoring in Economics and Political Science.
“It's an honor to be awarded the Gaines Fellowship and to be able to be part of a group that makes such a huge impact on the UK community through the lens of humanities and research. I hope to dive into an extremely diverse experience and learn from each person who crosses my path inside the Gaines community.”
AJ Hopkins
AJ is majoring in Natural Resources and Environmental Science, and in Law and Justice. She is from Independence, Kentucky.
“Words cannot describe the rush of pure joy I felt upon being notified of my acceptance. I am beyond honored to be awarded the Gaines fellowship. This experience presents me the rare and wonderful opportunity to pursue meaningful community work and research as part of my academic curriculum, and I know my time in the fellowship will push me to learn more and experience more in so many new and unexpected ways”
Matthew Mitchem
Matthew is majoring in Political Science, Economics, and Public Policy. He is from Nicholasville, Kentucky.
“I am beyond thrilled and honestly caught at a lack of words at being awarded the Gaines Fellowship. From my original application, I had doubts that I would make it into such a competitive and prestigious fellowship, but here we are. From Gaines, I hope to expand my knowledge and work to demonstrate that to a larger audience in a way that only Gaines can provide. Be it through the thesis or engagement project, I am ready to give everything I have to make a difference.”
Riley Owen
Riley is majoring in Biology and Neuroscience. She is from Burlington, Kentucky.
“I am elated to be able to be a part of such an incredible opportunity. Through this fellowship I hope to grow my knowledge and applications of the humanities, combine my love for science and humanities into two very cool projects senior and junior year, and collaborate with other fellows and form lifelong friendships! I am also excited to collaborate with faculty advisors and delve deeper into research that I am truly passionate about and combines both of my passions.”
Prisha Patel
Prisha is an Architecture major from Lexington, Kentucky.
"Being awarded the Gaines Fellowship is truly an immense honor. I am beyond grateful and ecstatic to be selected for this opportunity as a first-generation student. Coming from a mother who has always said “anything is possible”, I have been instilled with this mindset. This opportunity is a perfect example of this expression. I hope this experience gives me a deeper insight into my studies in architecture and the applications of intersectionality within it. I am thrilled to engage and interact with all sorts of diverse people, whether it be my peers, faculty, or even external individuals.”
CC Rhein
CC is majoring in Integrated Strategic Communications. She is from Lexington, Kentucky.
“I am extremely excited and grateful to have been awarded a Gaines Fellowship. I think this opportunity will allow me to meet students that are similarly passionate about learning and the chance to be part of a community. I hope that we are able to learn and grow together as we work through the new challenges that we will face as members of this fellowship.”
Da'Vazjah Scharkley
Da'Vazjah is majoring in both Psychology and Social Sciences Research. She is from Adairville, Kentucky.
“I am so graciously honored and excited to be awarded the Gaines Fellowship. I've planned for this moment, and more than ever, I am proud that my accomplishments, hard work, and support from many of my advisors and peers have pushed me to be a part of an amazing program. I look forward to connecting with community of talented individuals and using the experience that I gain to impact and help others.”
Sanai Wright
Sanai is majoring in English and History. She is from Chicago, Illinois.
“I am so honored and excited to have been awarded the Gaines Fellowship. I want to gain more research experience and collaborate with other majors and people of different backgrounds. I am also interested to see what entails with being a fellow and building a sense of community with other fellows.”