A 2007 Seneca Valley graduate will study in Germany as a Fulbright scholar.

Louis Butler of Cranberry Township was notified in early April that he had been awarded the prestigious nationwide scholarship, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.

Butler, who will graduate from Duquesne University in May with a philosophy degree, will travel to the University of Munich in August to study with professor Christoph Rapp.

Butler will continue a program he designed with Rapp that focuses on the pre-Socratic philosopher Heraclitus, plus the 19th century German philosophers Friedrich Nietzsche and Georg Hegel.

As per Fulbright requirements, Butler will take two graduate courses and write a detailed thesis while at the University of Munich. The scholarship will pay for Butler's plane ticket, visa, health insurance, orientation program fees and a stipend and allowance while he is in Munich.

He said the famed scholarship should help out when he applies for a philosophy professor position after graduate school.

“It immediately separates you from other candidates,” Butler said.

Butler came to receive the Fulbright Scholarship after an odyssey of self-discovery at Duquesne University.

He entered Duquesne as an accounting major, then took a philosophy class as an elective. Butler soon discovered a love and proclivity for the science of philosophy, which was reinforced by Professor Patrick Lee Miller.

Butler called Miller, who is now his mentor, passionate and highly skilled in his craft.

“Professor Miller's way of thinking is something I really took an interest in,” said Butler. “His aura of passion was really appealing to me.”

When Miller told Butler his work in philosophy was on the graduate level, Butler decided to change majors and follow his new dream.

“My parents were quite shocked,” he said with a chuckle. “But they're OK with it now.”

Christopher Duncan, Duquesne's dean of liberal arts, understands Butler's transition.

“Having entered college planning to major in hotel/restaurant management and then changing to philosophy after my second week, I understand Louis' story very well,” said Duncan.

“Louis is a fine testament to the power of gifted mentors and to the desire for truth and knowledge that burns so hotly in the human heart. It is a true joy to watch him pursue what he loves and to know that others recognize his gifts as well.”

Butler said Fulbright applicants must find an institution and garner an invitation to study there before applying for the scholarship. Given his fascination with Heraclitus, Butler began searching for a university that specialized in the philosopher.

Once Butler targeted the University of Munich, he sent Rapp an e-mail in German explaining that he was working toward application for a Fulbright Scholarship.

He said two weeks later, Rapp replied with an official invitation to study at Munich. Butler said Germany hosts about 90 Fulbright scholars per year and is the second most popular Fulbright destination after England.

Butler said the Fulbright application is a lengthy one, requiring several recommendations and a formal research proposal.

According to the U.S. Department of State website, about 300,000 “Fulbrighters” from 155 countries have participated in the program since its inception in 1946.

Annual recipients include 1,600 U.S. students, 4,000 foreign students, 1,200 U.S. scholars, and 900 visiting scholars, in addition to several hundred teachers and professionals.

In addition to his academic pursuits, Butler plans to bicycle 1,700 miles from Germany to the Black Sea along the picturesque Danube river. Butler completed a smaller cycling stint along the Rhine River when he studied in Cologne during his sophomore year at Duquesne.

Asked the long-term benefits of his Fulbright journey, Butler said he will reap the life-altering benefits of world travel.

“It's amazing how (travel) revitalizes your sense of the world,” said Butler. “It allows you to communicate with people on a deeper level, even when you come home.”

More information on the Fulbright Scholarship, including stories from scholars' experiences, is available at http://fulbright.state.gov.