Former USF women's tennis player Lauren Shumate, now an intern in the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Clearwater, has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to study and teach in Serbia, home of her maternal grandparents, the circuit announced Monday.

Shumate, 22, played tennis at USF from 2007-10 and has continued as a student assistant since her eligibility ended. She's also working toward a Master's degree in political science after earning her undergraduate degree in criminology with a 3.89 grade-point average. She'll teach English as a second language in Serbia as part of the Fulbright Scholarship Program, which promotes "mutual understanding between the citizens of the United States and the people of other countries." 

“I hope it helps to lessen the stigma that is sometimes placed on the term ‘student-athlete,’" Shumate said in the circuit's release. "My athletic and academic lives have seamlessly integrated with other parts of my life, and each of my achievements in one area has helped to inspire me in another area.”

In addition to her work as an intern with Circuit Judge Raymond Gross, Shumate has also worked as a graduate assistant in USF's Department of Government and International Affairs, where Gross is an adjunct professor. During her tennis career at USF, Shumate made the Athletic Director's Academic Achievement List and was twice named to the Big East All-Academic Team.