Monday, November 20, 2006
One scholar is from Sharon, Pa., and another is from Lakewood, Ohio.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Thirty-two men and women from across the United States, including a Sharon, Pa., man and Northeast Ohio woman, have been selected as Rhodes Scholars for 2007, the scholarship trust announced Sunday.
Sean Genis of Sharon, Pa., who attends the U.S. Naval Academy, and Michelle Sikes of Lakewood were among the scholars selected from 896 applicants endorsed by 340 colleges and universities. The scholarships, the oldest of the international study awards available to American students, provide two or three years of study.
The students will enter Oxford University in England next October.
Sikes is a senior at Wake Forest University in Winston, Salem, N.C., where she's captain of the school's track and cross country teams and is majoring in mathematical economics with a minor in health policy and administration.
"As a runner, my goal is to qualify for the Olympics," Sikes, an NCAA track and field All-American, said in a statement released by the university. "As a student, I want to use the Oxford education as a springboard into a career devoted to solving the health problems within disadvantaged populations."
Interest in public policy
During the summer, Sikes held an internship with the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research in Washington, where she researched various mathematical models that might increase the number of organ donors.
She would like to work for the World Health Organization and design public health policy.
"Michelle is really interested in the notion of applying economics to crucial social issues," said Michael Lawlor, a professor of economics at Wake Forest and Sikes' academic adviser.
Other winners this year include Brian Johnsrud of Bozeman, Mont. Johnsrud graduated from Montana State University in 2006 with a major in English and currently teaches at a charter school.
Johnsrud, who has served as a mentor, tutor and debate coach, is an avid outdoorsman and distance runner. He plans to study medieval literature at Oxford.
Rhodes Scholarships were created in 1902 by the will of British philanthropist Cecil Rhodes. Winners are selected on the basis of high academic achievement, personal integrity, leadership potential and physical vigor, among other attributes.
The American students will join an international group of scholars selected from 13 other jurisdictions around the world. Approximately 85 scholars are selected each year.
The value of the Rhodes Scholarship varies depending on the field of study. The total value averages about 45,000 per year.
With the elections announced Sunday, 3,110 Americans have won Rhodes Scholarships, representing 307 colleges and universities.