Rhodes scholars for Class of 2017 announced
VIENNA, Va. (AP) - This year's class of Rhodes scholars from the U.S. includes students who have used data to visualize sea level rise, some who speak several languages and the son of undocumented immigrants.
The Rhodes Trust announced the 32 American men and women chosen as scholars early Sunday. The 2017 recipients were chosen from 882 applicants who were endorsed by 311 colleges and universities. Next they will pursue post-graduate studies at Oxford University. The American students will join an international group of scholars chosen from 18 jurisdictions around the world. A total of 95 scholars will be selected worldwide this year.
Scholarships cover all expenses for two or three years of study at the prestigious university in England starting next October. In some instances, they may allow funding for four years. The scholarships are worth about $68,000 per year. The first class of American Rhodes Scholars entered Oxford in 1904.
Highlights from this year's class:
VISUALIZING SEA RISE
A senior at the University of South Carolina lists his interests as three-dimensional mapping and data visualizations related to sea level rise, aquatic habitat and underwater archaeology.
Jory M. Fleming, of Columbia, South Carolina, is double-majoring in geography and marine science. He has worked on funded research projects for NOAA, the National Park Service and National Geographic. Fleming will pursue a master of philosophy degree in geography and the environment.
Fleming's extracurricular interests include training service dogs, volunteering for a child literacy program and church activities.
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BRIDGING THE PAST AND PRESENT
Nancy Ko, a senior at Harvard University, plans to do her graduate work in modern Middle Eastern studies and ultimately wants to become a professor of Jewish history. She traces her interest to growing up near a Jewish community in Brooklyn.
Studying history is more than just learning about what happened, she says. It builds bridges between the past and present.
The daughter of Korean immigrants is proficient in both Hebrew and Arabic.
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SON OF UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS
Oscar De Los Santos was born the son of undocumented immigrants from Mexico was one of the top 20 graduates from the University of Southern California last year.
De Los Santos, of the Phoenix suburb of Laveen, is now a lobbyist and manager of public policy for the Association of Arizona Food Banks.
He has a bachelor's degree in political science. At Oxford, he plans to read for a master of public policy and a master of studies in theology with a focus on Christian ethics.
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SEEKING SOLUTIONS FOR REFUGEES
Hannah Carrese says the current definition of a refugee is outdated. The recent Yale University graduate says international agreements apply to people fleeing violence or persecution, and not mass migrations from places like Syria, Honduras, El Salvador and North Africa.
Carrese worked with refugees from Bhutan while she was in high school in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and went to Mexico to work with refugees fleeing violence in Central America.
At Oxford, Carrese says, she plans to look for ways to provide aid so people won't have to flee their homes and find new policies for countries to deal with mass influxes of refugees.
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STUDENT ATHLETE OVERCOME ABUSE
A safety for the Texas Christian University football team overcame poverty, homelessness and abuse founded a youth outreach organization on his way to becoming a scholar.
Caylin L. Moore, of the Los Angeles suburb of Carson, is a senior at TCU studying economics. His father was sentenced to life in prison on a murder charge, the Rhodes Trust said.
Moore founded S.P.A.R.K., a youth outreach organization of student-athletes who encourage disadvantaged children to attend college. He also is as a volunteer for the Children's Defense Fund. He will pursue a master's of public policy at Oxford.