Twenty Women Among This Year’s Cohort of 32 Rhodes Scholars From the U.S.

Recently, the Rhodes Trust announced the 32 American winners of Rhodes Scholarships for graduate study at Oxford University in England. Rhodes Scholarships provide all expenses for two or three years of study at the University of Oxford in England and may allow funding in some instances for four years. Being named a Rhodes Scholar is considered among the highest honors that can be won by a U.S. college student.

This year more than 2,500 students began the application process; 862 were endorsed by 249 different colleges and universities. Committees of Selection in each of the 16 U.S. districts interviewed the strongest applicants. All districts interviewed at least 14 finalists.

Including this year’s cohort, 3,642 Americans have won Rhodes Scholarships, representing 327 colleges and universities. Since 1976, women have been eligible to apply, and 663 American women have now won Rhodes scholarships.

Of the 32 Rhodes Scholars from the United States this year, 20 are women. Six are from Harvard University.

(L to R) Aishani Aatresh, Nayantara Arora, Tatyana Nieves Brown, Mariah Cady, and Jessica Chiriboga

Aishani Aatresh, from Saratoga, California, is a senior at Harvard College where she is majoring in complex biosocial systems. Her research is focused on preventing infectious diseases with a commitment to global public health. At Oxford, she plans to complete a master’s degree in nature, society, and environmental governance.

Nayantara K. Arora, of Portland, Oregon, is a senior at the University of Oregon, Clark Honors College, where she majors in neuroscience, with minors in global health and chemistry. She conducts research in two areas: global health biomarkers in Tunisia and the relationship between the vasculature and Alzheimer’s disease. As a Rhodes Scholar, Arora will study for a master’s degree in modeling for global health and a master’s degree in international health and tropical medicine.

Tatyana Nieves Brown, from San Antonio, Texas, graduated from New York University Abu Dhabi in 2022 with a bachelor’s degree in social research and public policy. She is now a Henry Luce Scholar in Taiwan working at the Taipei Fine Arts Museum. At Oxford, she will pursue a master’s degree in comparative social policy and a master’s degree in visual, material, and museum anthropology.

Mariah L. Cady, from Midland, Georgia, is a senior at the University of Georgia where she majors in international affairs and Russian, with minors in geography, German, and teaching second languages. She is the founder and leader of the Native American Students Association at the university. At Oxford, she will pursue a master’s degree in linguistics, philology, and phonetics and a master’s degree in forced migration studies.

Jessica M. Chiriboga, of Glendora, California is a senior at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, where she is student body president and majoring in history and minoring in government. Her research focuses on the history of the Mexican presence in the San Gabriel Mountains around Los Angeles. Chiriboga aims to earn a master’s degree in history at Oxford.

(L to R) Izzy Cho, Madison Hahamy, Victoria Harwell, Madison Jennings, and Mariam Khayata

Isabella B. Cho, from Wilmette, Illinois, is a senior at Harvard University where she majors in English. A published poet and journalist, she is a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow and a news executive at The Harvard Crimson. At Oxford, Cho will pursue a master’s degree in education with an emphasis in higher education.

Madison I. Hahamy, from Lake Forest, Illinois, is a senior at Yale University, where she is majoring in English. Hahamy is an intern at NBC News Investigations and was previously a senior editor at The New Journal at Yale. Hahamy will pursue a master’s degree in refugee and forced migration studies at Oxford.

Victoria Harwell, from Denver, Colorado, is a senior at Washington University in St. Louis, majoring in African and African American studies and environmental analysis. At Oxford, Harwell will pursue a master’s degree in African studies and a master’s degree in nature, society, and environmental governance.

Madison M. Jennings is a senior at Agnes Scott College in Georgia, where she is majoring in political science. She is president of the pre-law society and an intern at the Carter Center, where she has worked on issues ranging from supporting civil society organizations in Liberia to identifying policing alternatives in Georgia. In England, she will study for a master’s degree in public policy and a master’s degree in public policy research.

Mariam H. Khayata, from Memphis, Tennessee, graduated from Rhodes College in 2022 with a degree in international studies and political science. She currently works as an education coordinator at American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities, the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. As a Rhodes Scholar, Khayata will study for a master’s degree in modern Middle Eastern studies.

(L to R) Mira-Rose Kingsbury Lee, Madelyn Letendre, Lyndsey Mugford, Isabella Sullivan, and Jacqueline Testamark

Mira-Rose Kingsbury Lee, from Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a senior at Harvard University with a double major in human evolutionary biology and history. Her research focuses on the effects of industrialization on the gut microbiome and possible impacts on human health, including metabolic and autoimmune disorders. As a Rhodes Scholar, she will study interdisciplinary bioscience.

Madelyn L. Letendre, from Crestview, Florida, is a senior at the United States Air Force Academy where she majors in biochemistry. She had done research on disability support systems in the military. She is an all-conference swimmer on the Academy’s swim team. Letendre plans to earn a master of public policy degree and a master’s degree in therapeutic and translational neuroscience.

Lyndsey R. Mugford is a senior at Harvard University where she majors in human developmental and regenerative biology. She plans to study regenerative therapeutics for peripheral neuropathy with an interest in addressing chronic and age-related pain. At Oxford, she will pursue a master’s degree in research in clinical neurosciences.

Isabella G. Sullivan, of San Antonio, Texas, is a senior at the United States Military Academy where she majors in international history. She serves as the deputy brigade commander of the Corps of Cadets and is a two-time captain of the women’s volleyball team at West Point. Sullivan will study for a master’s degree in evidence-based social intervention and policy evaluation at Oxford.

Jacqueline N. Testamark from Levittown, New York, is a senior at Yale University majoring in classical civilizations and history. Much of her academic work has centered on examining minority histories in classical art and literature. At Oxford, Testamark will pursue a master’s degree in the history of art and visual culture.

(L to R) Lucy Tu, Mrinalini Wadhwa, Abigail Ward, Eleanor Wikstrom, and Alexandra Wong

Lucy Tu, from Omaha, Nebraska, is a senior at Harvard College, where she majors in sociology and the history of science. She is a research fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Harvard Kennedy School. She served as the president of the Harvard Undergraduate Law Review. Tu plans to earn a master’s degree in socio-legal research and a master’s degree in comparative social policy.

Mrinalini S. Wadhwa, from New York City, is a senior at Columbia University where she majors in history and mathematics. She is co-editor-in-chief of multiple student journals, including the Columbia Journal of Asia, which she co-founded. Wadhwa will pursue a master’s degree in modern European history at Oxford.

Abigail Ward, from Pasadena, California, is a senior at the United States Naval Academy, where she is majoring in computer science. Her academic work has centered on applying computer science to detect foreign misinformation campaigns that sow division and threaten cybersecurity in the United States. Ward is president of the Chinese Culture Club and plays fullback on the two-time national champion women’s rugby team. In England, she plans to earn a master of public policy degree and a master’s degree in the social science of the internet.

Eleanor M. Wikstrom, from Oakland, California is a senior at Harvard College where she majors in social studies. Her research is focused on the twentieth-century U.S. system of English-only education in the Philippines as an extension of colonialism. As a Rhodes Scholar, Wikstrom will study for a master’s degree in imperial and global history and a master’s degree in history.

Alexandra A. Wong, from Alexandria, Virginia, is a senior at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore where she majors in public health. She has conducted research at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine focusing on hearing loss. Wong will study for a master’s degree in evidence-based social intervention and policy evaluation at Oxford.