Marshall and Rhodes Scholars at St Antony’s

St Antony’s College is pleased to welcome a distinguished group of scholars this academic year, including seven Rhodes Scholars and five Marshall Scholars. These highly competitive scholarships are awarded to individuals who have not only demonstrated academic excellence, but also leadership, character, and a commitment to public service and international understanding.  

The Rhodes Scholarship is a fully-funded, full-time, postgraduate award that enables outstanding young people from around the world to study at the University of Oxford. It is a merit-based scholarship, aimed at developing leaders with a sense of public duty and promoting international understanding and peace through a diverse community of Scholars. 105 Rhodes Scholars were chosen for 2024, seven of which have chosen to study at St Antony’s. The Marshall Scholarship supports young Americans of high ability in studying for a degree in the United Kingdom. Up to 50 Scholars are selected each year to pursue graduate studies at a UK institution in any field. The Marshall Scholarship is designed to help strengthen the relationship between the British and American peoples, governments, and institutions by supporting future American leaders to study in the UK. Of the 50 2024 Marshall Scholars, five have chosen to study at St Antony’s.

“We are incredibly proud that these talented individuals have chosen to join us,” said Roger Goodman, Warden of St Antony’s College. “Their decision to come here, given the many exceptional options available to them, reinforces our commitment to fostering an inclusive and intellectually stimulating environment where scholars from around the world can thrive.”

This year’s cohort of Rhodes and Marshall Scholars brings with them a wide range of research interests including refugee and forced migration, social intervention and policy, the social science of the internet and sustainability.

I chose St Antony’s College because of its reputation as a vibrant and diverse community specializing in international perspectives. Since my very first Marshall dinner I heard glowing reviews about St Antony’s from previous and current Scholars. It feels amazing to now be a part of such a global space, surrounded by people with similar academic interests. With its worldly focus and connections to scholars engaged in work on migration and human rights, it felt like the ideal environment to deepen my expertise while contributing to a dynamic academic exchange.

I hope that my time at St Antony’s will not only refine my academic and professional skills but also expand my network of scholars, advocates, and practitioners dedicated to addressing global challenges of access, culture, and visibility. By being part of such a community, I aim to amplify marginalized voices and help build solutions that address the complexities of global displacement.

Assata Davis, Marshall Scholar, MSc Refugee and Forced Migration Studies

I chose St Antony’s because I wanted to be a part of the legacy of impactful government leaders who were once Antonians. Alumni like Peter Katjavivi, Speaker of the Namibian National Assembly and Zambian economist Dambisa Moyo are personal thought leaders whose journeys have deeply inspired on a personal level. 

I hope that my time here will continuously compel me to elevate my moral stakes and live a life in service to humanity. The community at St Antony’s is deeply attentive to the biggest nation-building challenges of our time, and I hope that I will leave here a more conscious, compassionate and selfless future civil servant. 

Bertha Tobias, Rhodes Scholar, MSc Sustainability, Enterprise and the Environment

The main reason I chose St Antony’s College was because of the community of scholars and students it attracts. St Antony’s is known to contain the most global community of any Oxford college, making it one of the most inclusive, welcoming, and culturally rich environments. From my perspective, my time at Oxford will only be as meaningful and fulfilling as the relationships I build, and there is no better college in which to create lasting, diverse friendships. I look forward to the challenging and perspective-broadening conversations I will have with my college mates throughout my time here.

I hope that St Antony’s will help me achieve a broader worldview and a diversified perspective. It is very rare to find yourself surrounded by individuals from so many different backgrounds and cultures, and I am incredibly excited to learn from the people around me. I truly believe that the best learning will occur outside the classroom, in conversation and bonding with the spectacular students that St Antony’s welcomes.

Marley Wait, Marshall Scholar, Master of Public Policy

I thrive in multicultural environments, and I knew that coming to St Antony’s was an opportunity to make lifelong friends from all over the world. Everyone here has a unique pathway that brought them to Oxford, yet we all share similar aspirations and goals. It has been refreshing to be in an empathetic community where we find belonging despite our seemingly vast differences.

I want to walk out of Oxford with lifelong friendships and feel part of a global community. So much of what makes higher education so special is the people who we meet and learn from along the way. I am hopeful that St Antony’s will help me achieve this goal.

Emmanuel Orozco Castellanos, Rhodes Scholar, MSc Refugee and Forced Migration Studies

One of the goals of the Marshall Scholarship is to promote a spirit of ambassadorship between the US and the UK, but I think this mission should extend beyond the bilateral relationship. The Scholarship emerged at a time of Cold War hegemony and Western imposition, but our problems today are international in scope. Although the US-UK relationship is critical, I think we should also embrace a spirit of international ambassadorship, and in that sense, St Antony’s provides a perfect learning environment. The diversity of backgrounds, nationalities, languages, and customs shapes social and intellectual life in the college. There are over 70 countries represented in St Antony’s, and as the most international college, I can think of nowhere better to reorient and expand my worldview.

Robert Hill, Marshall Scholar, MPhil Evidence-Based Social Intervention and Policy Evaluation

I was looking for a progressive, diverse and queer friendly space. After watching many college tours on YouTube, St Antony’s seemed like a good fit. The beautiful chapel library may have also influenced my decision.

I hope that the St Antony’s community will broaden my learning beyond my coursework, and that I’ll be able to immerse myself in some of the cultural events here at St Antony’s. I also just really enjoy meeting new people on a daily basis!

Tessa Malan, Rhodes Scholar, MSc Social Science of the Internet

We look forward to supporting the success of all our students over the coming academic year and witnessing their contributions on both local and global scales.

Where next?