Grace Long Earns Inaugural Women of Influence Scholarship

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- University of Louisville swimmer Grace Long was named as the inaugural recipient of the Women of Influence scholarship thanks to the partnership with Churchill Downs Inc.

Long, who swam at UofL as a sprint and middle distance freestyle specialist from 2015-2019, was a biology major with a minor in chemistry and psychology and is currently enrolled at the UofL School of Medicine.

Women of Influence presented by Churchill Downs Inc. was founded to connect powerful women in the community to female student-athletes to provide mentoring, networking, and professional development opportunities. Each semester, the Women of Influence program brings together these two groups in various events including, speed mentoring, career lunches, mock interviews, resume review and more.

"My favorite part of the opportunities offered from the Women of Influence program was the connection I got to make with Dr. Amy Quillo," said Long. "I met her at one of the events before a basketball game, and she became a great connection for me. Not only did Dr. Quillo let me shadow her in surgery and let me see my first parathyroid resection, she took me with her and let me see her volunteer work at a clinic for the uninsured. Dr. Quillo also ended up writing me a letter of recommendation for medical school and was an incredible woman to have as a role model. This connection was possible due to the Women of Influence program, and I was able to talk about the experiences on some of my medical school interviews."

In addition to funding program initiatives, The Women of Influence Endowment Fund, made possible by Churchill Downs Inc. lead gift, will grant financial aid to former University of Louisville student-athletes who have been positively impacted by the Women of Influence partnership and who return to UofL to pursue a graduate degree.

"At Churchill Downs, our mission is to provide extraordinary experiences for our guests and make meaningful contributions within our community. We are thrilled to partner with Louisville Athletics on the Women of Influence Post Grad Scholarship so that together we can provide extraordinary professional and educational experiences for our promising and dedicated women athletes. We truly believe that when we lift women, we lift our entire community," said Tonya Abeln, Vice President of Communications at Churchill Downs Inc.

Grace Long, who was a part of the team that competed for the ACC Championship, knows the importance of teamwork and having a support system to maximize success.

"As a second-year medical student, I now know I made the right decision in continuing to be a Cardinal," said Long. "The resources ULSOM offers to its students are unmatched and the professors I have had are some of the best educators any student can ask for. Each professor here deeply cares about our education and success, and it comes across after every test, quiz, and lecture. I also choose to continue my degree at UofL as so much of my support system I established in college is still here as well. Many of my old teammates and now best friends stayed in Louisville and it paid off to have them around to encourage me multiple times in my first year."

University of Louisville Athletics

Grace Long Earns Inaugural Women of Influence Scholarship

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