NEW YORK: Out of 840 candidates from 70 countries, four Indian American students have been chosen to be a part of the University of Oxford's Rhodes Scholars Class of 2024.
For the first time since the Covid epidemic, 32 scholars were chosen through in-person interviews; Mrinalini S. Wadhwa, Suhaas Bhat, Nayantara K. Arora, and Aishani Aatresh are among them. These scholars will start their graduate studies in October 2024.
Wadhwa of New York City is a senior at Columbia University, where she majors in history and mathematics. She co-founded a programme providing a three-year English curriculum for low-income Indian students in New Delhi.
Bhat from Wisconsin is a senior at Harvard University majoring in Social Studies and Physics. He co-founded an organization at Harvard that provides peer-facilitated group psychotherapy to students. He will pursue an M Sc in Mathematical Modeling and Scientific Computing and an M Sc in International Health and Tropical Medicine.
At the University of Oregon's Clark Honours College, Arora, a senior from Portland, is majoring in neuroscience and minoring in global health and chemistry. Her study focuses on two areas: the connection between Alzheimer's disease and the vasculature, and global health biomarkers in Tunisia.
Aatresh, a California native, is a senior studying complex biosocial systems at Harvard College. She collaborated with the emergency response team of the New York City health and hospital system during the worldwide pandemic.
“They inspire us already with their accomplishments, but even more by their values-based leadership and selfless ambitions to improve their communities and the world,” said Ramona L Doyle, American Secretary of the Rhodes Trust.