University graduate student Richard Hermes was selected as one of 15 Henry Luce Scholars in the nation this year.

The scholar program allows recipients to travel to Southeast Asia for one year, but Hermes will not find out where until the end of April, he said.

After being interviewed for the award two different times, Hermes went to San Francisco for a series of seven interviews, he said.

“I had seven interviews in one day,” Hermes said. “It was pretty grueling, but strangely fun.”

Hermes competed against medical students, public policy students, journalists and a variety of people from other areas of study, he said.

On Aug. 16, Hermes will travel to Princeton University for an orientation session followed by a flight to Asia where he will report for a magazine or newspaper.

Hermes will graduate with a master’s of fine arts in fiction writing in May.