Seniors Laura Roberts and Jay Ruckelshaus have been named as recipients of the 2016 Rhodes Scholarship, and senior Wills Rooney has been awarded a George J. Mitchell Scholarship. Jackson, a senior at Northeastern University in Boston, will pursue post-graduate studies at Oxford University next fall.
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The 32 winners were chosen from 869 applicants who were endorsed by 316 colleges and universities.
Higgins plans to pursue a master of philosophy degree in geography and the environment at Oxford. Sarah Kovan of MI State women’s soccer joined three other Big Ten representatives on the list. The scholarships cover two or three years and are worth about $50,000 per year.
He is also a member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, policy chair for One in Four, a bible study leader for the Reformed University Fellowship and a former Opinion editor at The Cavalier Daily.
The scholarship is among the most prestigious awards given to college students. He’s also a former U.S. State Department intern, UI student government vice president, national high school debate champion and triple major in economics, political science and Chinese – and he’s also getting a certificate in worldwide business. The scholars will head to the school beginning in October next year. “It’s kind of shocking, but I was happy”, Jackson, 22, said in a phone interview Sunday evening. “I channel as much credit as possible to all those who’ve helped me get here”. She will enter Oxford next year. “Without a doubt, the Rhodes Scholarship offers the ideal path for me to fulfill that life vision devoted to social justice through the health system”.
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“Jeffrey has had an incredible experience here at Iowa”, says Kelly Thornburg, director of scholar development at the UI Honors Program.
