New York, NFAPost: Five Indian-American students have been selected from a pool of 840 applicants to join the ranks of Rhodes Scholars Class of 2023.
As per American Rhodes Scholars-elect for 2023 press release, Shreyas Hallur, Atharv Gupta, Veer Sangha, Amisha Kambath, and Jupneet Singh are among 32 scholars who will begin their graduate studies at Oxford in October next year.
The Rhodes Scholarship is a fully funded, full time graduate fellowship awarded by the University of Oxford since 1903. The selected scholars can come to the UK for two or more years and can apply to study most full-time postgraduate courses offered by Oxford University.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Rhodes Scholarship in India and the organisation is hosting events to mark the impact of the Rhodes Scholar community, to look to the future and to welcome the next generation of Scholars as they start their journey as Oxford post graduates.
Shreyas Hallur of Phoenix, Arizona, is a senior at Duke University with majors in Statistics and in Public Policy. He plans to continue his passion for healthcare reform by studying medical anthropology and evidence-based social intervention and policy evaluation at Oxford.
Shreyas Hallur has also taken a leap in making STEM education more inclusive for autistic children, having won a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation for his work at the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center.
“I wanted to learn more about this unique culture as a student in the UK and the Rhodes scholarship would really allow me to pursue these studies at one of the UK’s best institutions – Oxford!” Shreyas Hallur told Duke Chronicle.
Veer Sangha of Columbia, Missouri is a senior at Yale College with majors in Computer Science, Statistics and Data Science. He will pursue a D Phil in Health Data Science at Oxford, as he aims to explore how artificial intelligence can revolutionise health care.
Jupneet K Singh of Somis, California, is a senior at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology where she majors in Chemistry. A cadet lieutenant colonel in the US Air Force ROTC program, she plans a career as a military surgeon. At Oxford, she will pursue an M Sc in Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy.
Amisha Kambath of San Ramon, California, is a senior at Harvard College where she majors in Social Studies. A Truman Scholar, who is passionate about criminal justice reform, Amisha Kambath intends to do M St in English (English and American Studies).
She was President of the Harvard College Project for Justice, co-chair of the Policy Program at the Harvard Institute of Politics and interned at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund. Amisha heads the Program in Engaged Scholarship at the Harvard Kennedy School. Amisha intends to do the M.St. in English (English and American Studies).
Atharv Gupta of Fairfax, Virginia, is a senior at Georgetown University, where he is majoring in Science, Technology, and International Affairs. At Oxford, Atharv Gupta intends to do the MSc in Social Science of the Internet.
Atharv Gupta’s work engages the intersection of international development and digital technologies. He has interned in the State Department’s Office of West African Affairs and plays lead trumpet in the Georgetown University Jazz Ensemble. He also writes, edits, and publishes a weekly newsletter on film, television, and media.
Nearly 250 Scholars have come to the University of Oxford from India since the Scholarship was created, adding huge experience, knowledge and perspective to the global community of Scholars and to the wider University.
Many have gone on to distinguished careers in fields from science and literature to sport and the law and join an international cohort of leaders committed to continuous learning and to mutually supporting each other to deliver their best for the wider global good.
As the oldest and one of the most prestigious international Scholarship programmes, the Rhodes Scholarships have always selected candidates on high academic ability, but also a powerful commitment to service – people with energy, courage, and an impatience to act.
The Rhodes Trust’s strategy is to fundraise to increase the opportunities for Scholarships around the world, including in India, and to expand our outreach so the Scholarships appeal to the widest possible diversity of candidates and Scholars from all backgrounds and parts of the world.
The anniversary of the Rhodes Scholarships in India comes as the Rhodes Trust prepares to celebrate its own 120th anniversary in 2023, the 20th anniversary of The Mandela Rhodes Foundation in Africa and the fifth anniversary of the Schmidt Science Fellows Program.
