University of Arkansas Honors College Selects 2015 Bodenhamer Fellows

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The 2015 Bodenhamer Fellows

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas Honors College has selected six incoming freshmen to receive the university's prestigious Bodenhamer Fellowship, which offers $70,000 in financial support and a strong sense of community to exceptional students with leadership potential.

The 2015 Bodenhamer Fellows are Adam Bliss of North Little Rock; Chen-Bo Fang of Little Rock; Erin Farmer of Fayetteville; Kali Fleming of McCrory; Clark Kennedy of Little Rock; and Vanessa Weidling of Cabot. This year's group embraces a wide range of interests and skills, from robotics and engineering to ballet, ecology and the development of international service-learning projects.

In addition to covering the normal costs 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 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 or 1400 on the SAT 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.

"These Bodenhamer Fellows carry the tradition of academic excellence and service into the program's 17th year," said Honors College Dean Lynda Coon. "They have already made extraordinary contributions to their communities and will continue to make a difference in years to come. We look forward to welcoming them to campus this fall."

The new Bodenhamer students will join a group of 120 fellows who have benefited from the generous support of the Bodenhamer family. Bodenhamer alumni are excelling in a wide range of career paths, from improving global health care to launching energy-saving startups. Many are pursuing advanced degrees at universities such as Harvard, Vanderbilt and Yale.

On July 27 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. An annual tradition that is funded by Dr. Bodenhamer, the Washington trip helps build bonds among the new Bodenhamer fellows.

2015 Bodenhamer fellows

Adam Bliss is a graduate of the Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, where he was a National Merit Scholar and won the University of Rochester Award for Innovation and Information for his strong interest in information technology both inside and outside of the classroom. In a contest hosted by the Air Force Association, he captained a Cyber Patriot team that won first place in the state. He also served as the head engineer and co-captain for a BEST robotics team that won first place overall in its local hub. Bliss just finished a project that allows a robot to follow a target human; his ultimate goal is to have it on hand to assist when a human may need help with a task. In addition to his technological pursuits, Bliss was also able to win the Freshman Scholar Athlete Award for his efforts in cross country and founded a music club in which he played guitar, mandolin, and banjo. He plans to study engineering at the University of Arkansas. He is the son of Deborah Bliss and the late Tony Bliss.

Chen-Bo Fang is a graduate of Little Rock Central, where he received national honors as an AP Scholar with Distinction and as a National Merit Scholar. He also gained recognition for his second place finish in the Arkansas Brain Bee. Fang served as president for the chess and Chinese clubs and as captain of Little Rock Central's regional-winning Quiz Bowl team. He was also heavily involved with the mathletes and placed highly in Mu Alpha Theta and other regional competitions. Fang competed on the swim team, paints Chinese watercolors, and has logged more than 250 volunteer hours at Camp Aldersgate, UAMS Medical Center, and elsewhere. From his perspective as a Chinese-American, Fang published an essay in Mapping the Road to Change, a collection that celebrated diversity in memory of the 'Little Rock Nine.' He plans to study engineering and pursue a career in medicine. He is the son of Jia-Long Fang and Yu Chen.

Erin Farmer is a graduate of Haas Hall Academy, where she excelled in difficult classes as an AP Scholar with Distinction and as a National Merit Scholar. She also received honor as an Intel International Science and Engineering finalist after earning first place at the regional science fair. In addition, Farmer's Envirothon team placed first regionally for the environmental science competition. As she looks to pursue a degree in physics and mathematics, Farmer feels that her education and success entail a responsibility to give back. Already, she has founded and led a service-learning project called Opportunity Belize. Through this program, high school students work in Dangriga, Belize, to run an educational and recreational summer camp for underprivileged children. She also volunteered her time with service club O' Ambassadors and as director of special projects for the Green Team, a club that organizes local stream cleanups and recycling at Haas Hall Academy. She is the daughter of Jeff Collins and Amy Farmer.

Kali Fleming, a graduate of the Arkansas School of Mathematics, Sciences and the Arts, developed a passion for law and policy while conducting polling research as an intern for the Hot Springs regional campaign coordinator. Fleming also participated in her school's Model United Nations, where she received an honorable delegate award, and in the Student Government Association, where she was elected chair of the Policy Committee. She was selected for Arkansas Girls State, where she sponsored a successful bill and served as city major, county judge, and in the House of Representatives. In addition to her strong interest in law, she has also demonstrated a passion for learning abroad. She received scholarships from the U.S. Department of State's NSLI-Y Program to study Chinese and to teach English in a Chinese orphanage and from the Global Learning Program to study in England, Ireland and Wales. For her Senior Research Symposium, she researched the influence of 501(c) groups on legislation. Fleming will study agricultural business. She is the daughter of John and Hope Fleming.

Clark Kennedy, a graduate of Little Rock Central, is dedicated to a life of service and civic duty. She volunteers her time with the Junior Civitan Club, where she serves as senior representative in charge of volunteer hours for seniors. Kennedy also dances with the senior ballet company at the Dancers' Corner Ballet Studio, where she also helps twice a week with younger dancers. She was invited to the Mayor's Youth Council of Little Rock, where she meets monthly with the mayor at city hall and volunteers for community events like Race for the Cure. She was elected to the House of Representatives for Arkansas Girls State and was the president of Little Rock Central's Spanish club. Kennedy has also been acknowledged for her scholastic endeavors, having received the title of AP Scholar with Distinction and the Rachel Carlson Young Women in Science Book Award from Chatham University. She plans to study engineering. She is the daughter of Kevin and Elicia Kennedy.

Vanessa Weidling, a graduate of Cabot High School, excels in both athletics and academics. She played on the varsity tennis and soccer teams and won recognition as an AP Scholar and as a National Merit Scholar. She also earned the AP Biology Subject Award at Cabot High. From French to ecology, Weidling maintains a wide range of scholastic interests. She served as president of the French club, where she placed first in the extemporaneous reading competition of a foreign language festival. In ecology club, she worked to preserve the speckled pocketbook mussel in Big Creek and to measure the chemical levels and biodiversity there. A member of Mu Alpha Theta and the AP Academy, she has volunteered her time performing science experiments for children, completing surgical paperwork at St. Vincent Hospital, and assisting with her local library's summer reading program. Weidling plans to study engineering. She is the daughter of Roger and Tricia Weidling.

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. One hundred percent of Honors College graduates 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.