UWF announces first Rhodes Scholar finalist

December 9, 2025 | UWF Newsroom

This article is courtesy of the UWF Newsroom:

The University of West Florida announced its first-ever Rhodes Scholar finalist, marking a historic milestone for the institution. The Rhodes Scholarship is the world’s oldest and most prestigious international fellowship, and this achievement coincides with the launch of the John W. Merting Family Office of National Fellowships. Established through a $500,000 gift from the Merting family, the new office provides students with the guidance, resources and support needed to pursue elite fellowship opportunities such as the Rhodes Scholarship.

Ambrea Hobbs, UWF’s finalist in the Rhodes Scholarship, competed at the highest academic levels with the hopes of receiving a fully funded postgraduate study at the University of Oxford. Rhodes scholars receive funding for tuition, an annual living stipend, paid travel expenses, and covered visa and health fees. Each year, only a few U.S. students are selected as nominees, and Hobbs, a history and legal studies prelaw senior, joined by Itamar Blau, a mathematics and culture, health and society premed senior, were recognized as the first UWF students to be nominated.

Read more on the UWF Newsroom, here.