T-shirt brings student to UWF, she graduates a Rhodes Scholar finalist

Had Ambrea Hobbs not discovered a University of West Florida T-shirt in an Arcadia thrift shop, the 20-year-old senior may never have attended the university.

But as fate had it, Hobbs chose UWF and this year was selected as one of the university's first Rhodes Scholar nominees.

And though she wasn't selected a 2025 Rhodes Scholar, Hobbs was one of 238 finalists out of an initial pool of 865 students from all over the United States.  

The Rhodes Scholarship, the world's oldest and most prestigious international fellowship, fully funds 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. This year, 104 students from 29 countries were selected as Rhodes Scholars.

"It was an honor to be the university's nominee but to be a finalist, I was surprised," said Hobbs, a history and legal studies prelaw major, who graduates in May and has received a full scholarship to Florida State University's College of Law.

"When I was nominated, it was never a foregone conclusion that I was going to go any further than that. The fact that I did, I was a little bit in shock for a while."

If selected as a Rhodes Scholar, Hobbs said she wanted to pursue a master's degree in American history or in political theory.

"Since I plan to practice law in U.S., I felt it was most beneficial to me to adequately understand the history of the land," said Hobbs, who plans to major in criminal law or public interest law with a focus on education rights.

"I don't have a lot of firsthand exposure to criminal law in my personal life, but it's something that I've seen in my coursework and internship. But education rights are near and dear to me because, based off my experiences, I think access to quality education could be a little better," she said.

The nominations of Hobbs and Itamar Blau, a mathematics and culture, health and society premedical senior, also marked historic milestone for UWF. Being able to nominate students for the Rhodes Scholarship was made possible by the launch of the university's John W. Merting Family Office of National Fellowships.  

Established through a $500,000 gift from the Merting Family, the new office provides UWF students with the guidance, resources and support needed to pursue elite fellowship opportunities such as the Rhodes Scholarship.

After her nomination, Hobbs was one of 14 District 7 nominees to advance and move to the highly competitive interview phase of the selection process. She traveled to Birmingham, where she interviewed alongside top candidates from around the country.

Claire Holderman, coordinator of the John W. Merting Family Office of National Fellowships, said Hobbs was an ideal Rhodes Scholar candidate especially since she was a member of UWF's cross-country team. She explained that selection committees look favorably on student-athletes and many Rhodes Scholars are involved in sports.

"I felt Ambrea was the kind of person who would really benefit from going to the University of Oxford because of her desire to learn. She has thrived at UWF. She wasn't even sure if she was going to college when she was in high school but wanted to attend a smaller university and chose UWF," Holderman said.

"Ambrea's life trajectory has changed so much, and this experience has helped her learn a lot about herself. She's gained confidence and recognizes how special she really is."

UWF Interim President Manny Diaz Jr. said Hobbs exemplifies the drive, talent and ambition of students at the university.

"We are incredibly proud of her achievement as UWF's first Rhodes Scholar finalist. This milestone reflects the growing strength of our academic community and the transformative opportunities now available through the John W. Merting Family Office of National Fellowships."

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A first-generation in college and an exceptional student, Hobbs has a 4.0 grade point average and said she's happy she chose UWF.

"I found that T-shirt my sophomore year of high school and that's what inspired me to look into UWF. Two years after that, I was impressed with everything I saw, (about the university) and it felt right," said Hobbs who listed the abundance of green space on the campus and that UWF was not super big school as deciding factors.

"Being a senior now, I still love all of those things. I've also been able to experience all of the UWF merits including the smaller class sizes. You really get to know your professors, which is really the best part of all of it. It's a small somewhat tightknit community and greater Pensacola is also very tied into UWF and what goes on there."

Hobbs is also graduating after only three years. A Bright Futures Scholar, the 2023 Punta Gordo High School alumna said she took 15 credit hours each semester including over the summer. This fall, she had 18 credit hours—but nothing she said she couldn't manage.

"I always wanted to learn. I vaguely remember yelling out in class one day when I was really young, 'I love school.' I started reading early—definitely in kindergarten, and even now college classes feel more like fun than work. I don't know where I would be without that mindset," she added.

Holderman said along with a personal statement, Hobbs also had to have a minimum of five letters of recommendations. Among those writing letters were U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers (Hobbs volunteered in her office); UWF legal studies professor Charles Penrod, and UWF history department chair Erin Stone.

John W. Merting Family Office of National Fellowships provides UWF students and faculty with other fellowship opportunities such as Fulbright, Truman and Goldwater, and many other national and international fellowships.

Students from across disciplines receive process guidance, essay feedback, interview preparation and mentorship to strengthen their applications. The program also hosts monthly workshops that aim to bring awareness to fellowship opportunities, study abroad programs offered at UWF through the Office of International Affairs, research opportunities through the Office of Undergraduate Research, as well as other campus resources that help students ultimately prepare for competitive applications.

For more information about John W. Merting Family Office of National Fellowships, visit uwf.edu/ONF .   

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: UWF senior is Rhodes Scholar finalist