The University of West Florida achieved a historic milestone as Ambrea Hobbs became the institution’s first-ever Rhodes Scholar finalist.
- Hobbs, a senior studying history and legal studies on the pre-law track, was one of 14 finalists selected for District 7 of the Rhodes Scholarship competition. She traveled to Birmingham, Alabama, to interview alongside candidates from prestigious institutions, including the University of Pennsylvania and the University of North Carolina.
Though not selected for the scholarship, her achievement as a finalist marks a significant accomplishment for both the student and the university. The Rhodes Scholarship, the world’s oldest and most prestigious international fellowship, provides fully funded postgraduate study at the University of Oxford, including tuition, living stipend, travel expenses, and health coverage.
- “I am honored to have had the opportunity to represent the University of West Florida on such a prestigious stage,” Hobbs said. “Though I was not selected for the Rhodes Scholarship, the application process taught me quite a bit about myself. It gave me an opportunity to meaningfully reflect on my personal and academic development up to this point and set my sights toward the future.”
John W. Merting Family Office of National Fellowships
The achievement coincides with the launch of UWF’s John W. Merting Family Office of National Fellowships, established through a $500,000 gift from the Merting family. Claire Holderman, the office’s coordinator, identified Hobbs’s potential early in the process after academic advisor April Kocher recommended her.
“Within the first few minutes of meeting her, I knew that Ambrea would be our first Rhodes nominee,” Holderman said.
Dr. Tyler Fisher, a former Rhodes Scholar, praised Hobbs’s performance after her finalist interview. “UWF’s first Rhodes nominee represented your institution at the highest standard,” he wrote to Holderman.
Hobbs was one of two UWF students nominated for Rhodes Scholarships this year. Itamar Blau, a mathematics and culture, health and society senior on the premed track, was also nominated—another first for the university.
The new fellowship office provides UWF students with guidance, essay feedback, interview preparation, and mentorship for prestigious opportunities including Rhodes, Fulbright, Truman, and Goldwater scholarships. The program hosts monthly workshops to raise awareness about fellowship opportunities, study abroad programs, and research resources.
For more information about the John W. Merting Family Office of National Fellowships, visit uwf.edu/ONF.